Sonic Forces: Rewritten
by Hotaru Shinpei
Summary: Sonic Forces rewrite. Nuff said.
1. Eggman Finds Trouble

**Hey, guys. Johntohigh here. Sorry I've been gone for so long. I just got a YouTube channel I've been trying to run called Hotaru Shinpei, not to mention having to juggle high school and suffering from writer's block. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Anyway, I love the new game Sonic Forces, but I felt it was in desperate need of a rewrite or two. So I decided to do just that. It takes place in the same universe as the Archie Sonic comics, so if you see any Archie characters, this is the reason. And Sticks, several Sega characters, the Freedom Planet trio, an OC I made, and the TMNT are in it, too.**

 **And while we're at it, I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, any of the franchises characters, the Sega characters, or any other characters. They are owned by Sega, Sonic Team, GalaxyTrail, and Nickelodeon. I do own the OC I made, so no stealing.**

Earth. Home to water, glorious landmarks, elements, and organic lifeforms. A melting pot of people and plantlife and home to many heroes. Home of one of its most powerful warriors of all time; Sonic the Hedgehog. And to his enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, though nowadays people refer to him as Eggman. He was a mad scientist, and had a master plan to take over the world and rebuild it as a world he called "Eggmanland." The thought of happiness and prosperity made him sick, and he wanted nothing more than to do away with it. He was in his base with his two robot lackeys, Orbot and Cubot. He was having inventor's block, meaning he was having some difficulty coming up with robot designs for attack bots. Leave it to your imagination what they looked like. "Hmph, no. No. No! NO! NO!" He grumbled. "Is something the matter, boss?" Orbot asked. "No, you dolt!" Eggman shouted. Orbot just looked at him suspiciously. "Ok, yes. I've acquired a little...inventor's block. I can't think of any new robot designs. My last one was a huge failure!" "You mean the Egg Dealer?" "Don't remind me. Why didn't you tell me making a robotic slot machine was a bad idea?!" "Well, how was I supposed to know it would power Shadow up?" "True. That was a really bad idea." Then, Cubot came in, in a bit on a frenzy. "Guys, guys!" "Cubot, what's the matter?" "The proximity scanners picked up a weird energy signature nearby!" "Really? Well, show us where it's coming from!" Eggman demanded.

Cubot took Orbot and Eggman outside, where he led them to a desert patch and he pointed to a crystalline shape in the sand. "So, that's where the signature came from? A small crystal in the sand?" Orbot asked. "Not just any crystal. When I touched it, I saw a land with sweets, hot dogs and coffee waterfalls as far as the eye could see!" Interested, Eggman touched the crystal. After he did, he saw Eggmanland finally come to pass. In his astonishment, he dropped the crystal, and the vision began to fade. "No, wait! Bring it back!" But it was too late. The vision was gone. Eggman groaned in disappointment, but picked up the crystal from the sand. "That was amazing. Orbot, you have got to try this!" He brought the crystal over to Orbot, who reluctantly touched it. He saw a vision of a library for robots, with a small coffee shop in the corner. He was astonished too.

Eggman got an idea. Since his plan with the Time Eater had failed, he thought of something that could wreck Sonic for good. "Somehow this mysterious gem cause those hallucinations. That could be useful. Prepare to be researched, jewel!"


	2. Jackal Strike

Motivated by the hallucination he saw, Eggman and his robots took the mysterious gem into the base, running as fast as they could. "Are you sure this will give us an advantage over Sonic, boss?", Orbot asked. Eggman was incredulous. As far as he was concerned, Orbot had never questioned him before. Cubot, 3 times a week, but never from Orbot. "Sure, I'm sure. If this thing can cause those visions to happen, it must be able to do something to fight off Sonic. Quickly, put it in the Superanalyzer!", Eggman said. With that said, Cubot did what he was told. Once the jewel had been placed into the Superanalyzer, it began to start scanning the gem. Orbot and Cubot went to their position and waited for results.

After a few seconds, a beeping sound went off. Results were in. "Well?", Eggman asked. "Apparently this crystal is capable of creating virtual reality projections. They have mass and form, but no heart and soul. Yet, when it makes copies of others, they are just as powerful and formidable as the original. We got those hallucinations from it because it did so as long as one touches it. It can also create rips in the space-time continuum itself!" "Wow, it is as powerful as I thought!" The only downside is it needs a lot of power for it to work." "Luckily, we have a grand power source for this thing. Cubot, can you come up with a name for this crystal?", Eggman asked. "Hmmmm...how about...the Spooky Sapphire?" "No, it doesn't shine blue. Apparently, it seems to shine a bit...crimson." "Then how about….the Anarchy Beryl?" "No, too derivative." "How about….the Precioustone?" "No." "Oh, I think I got it. How about...the Phantom Ruby?" "The Phantom Ruby…." Eggman thought about that for a while. He then had a vision of millions trembling in fear of the Phantom Ruby's name. "The Phantom Ruby…. I LIKE IT!"

Then, the intruder alarm went off. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert. A series of mercenaries had entered the base uninvited." That really was the case. A team of 7 jackals had run into the base uninvited with intentions to steal some tech of Eggman's. One of the jackals was the one barking orders. "Ok, guys, move in for the kill! Raid this base! All of this Eggman tech ought to be worth a pretty penny on the black market!", the lead jackal yelled. Eggman was perturbed. "We're being attacked already?! I should've been building up my army instead of studying this stupid crystal!" At that moment, the Phantom Ruby started to glow. A large amount of Egg Pawns suddenly materialized before his very eyes. To say he was shocked is an understatement. "Where did these...oh, it doesn't matter. Robot army, ATTACK!" The Egg Pawns did as they were told. The Pawns attacked the jackals in a unified formation, but they were no match for the jackal mercenaries, especially the lead jackal, who was undeterred. No matter if he made it out alive, he wanted that tech! "Don't let them faze you. Take the robots, I'll handle the fatman!" the jackal shouted, as he made his way through columns of Egg Pawns. After he took out thousands of Pawns, he and his jackals made it inside. The lead jackal ran through the base, looking for Eggman. After he tore through the Egg Pawns inside, he found Eggman inside, but before he could strike Eggman with his sword, he pulled out the Phantom Ruby and it spawned handcuffs on his hands and legs, causing him to fall on the floor. Eggman laughed at him. "Now, you have spunk. I like you." "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice your chest open." the jackal said. "Ok, hear me out." He had the jackal go outside to speak to the other jackals. The Phantom Ruby had the Egg Pawns disappear and the jackal leader bounced outside. "Head in. The fatman's bargaining with us."

The other jackals did as they were told. After they were cuffed and seated, Eggman started to let them know. "Ok, hear me out. I am a scientist. I have been trying to create a land called Eggmanland. And even though I try so much, I fail so many, many times." He then walked to a fridge and pulled out the Phantom Ruby from it. "But with _this_ , I can finally succeed." "That's it? A weird glowing crystal? It's not even a Chaos Emerald!" "Not just any crystal. And I KNOW IT'S NOT A CHAOS EMERALD! This is the Phantom Ruby. With this, I can finally rule over all! Go ahead, touch it. You won't regret it." The jackal, even though he was a little skeptical, decided to do so. After he did, he saw a vision of a destroyed and desolate world, which shocked him as much as it did Eggman. "So, how about I hire you and your thugs to lead my forces? Together, we will rule the world!" The other jackals were appalled. "Don't do it, boss! He's trying to trick you! We can handle ourselves!", one of the jackals cried out. But the lead jackal was doing some thinking. At his heart, he was growing disillusioned of the world around him. He decided that it was in need of some remodeling. "Let's do it, doc. We'll help you change this world." The other jackals were surprised, since they knew that in certain cases the doctor was not to be trusted, but they went along with it, although what the lead jackal just did was like making a deal with the devil himself.


	3. The Birth of Infinite

With his new strike force of mercenaries, they made a deal; the jackals would get all of Eggman's technology they needed for money in exchange for their assistance. With those jackals and the Phantom Ruby under his control, he was going to rock this world! However, heroes are never far away. If Sonic heard about this, he'd come running to stop Eggman in no time! But it wasn't Sonic that would come running in the dash.

His seventh best friend would. His name was Shadow the Hedgehog. He was a brooding loner, to put it bluntly. He usually acted with a cool and businesslike indifference, only occasionally showing his vulnerable side. He was rarely seen with others for an extended period of time and usually distances himself from essentially everyone. He was usually soft-spoken, silent and didn't speak much, but he always knew exactly what to say in combat. However, Shadow never bluffed. If he made a threat, he had every intention of carrying it out. Shadow constantly referred to himself as the Ultimate Lifeform and like Sonic, could be extremely arrogant, often belittling his opponents and insulting their lack of strength. He believed no one could beat him, and tended to see anyone as a fool for challenging him. Shadow also had a ruthless and merciless edge in combat that everyone else lacked, and displayed a natural "killer instinct".

One day, while he was sitting outside, pondering his next move, he got a call from his best friend, Rouge. "Hey there, Shadow." "Rouge." "A hello would be nice." "Hey. How have you been?" "I've been better. The Intelligence Division's been picking up some strange energy readings coming from one of Eggman's bases in the jungle." "The good old doctor. Are they the Chaos Emeralds again?" "No, this is an entirely different...thing whatsoever." "Alright, I'll go check it out."

With that in mind, Shadow teleported off to the jungle. He dashed off to the entrance. After he went a mile or two, he ran into the jackals, yet the lead one was nowhere to be found. "Hold up there! Where do you think you're going?" One of them said. "I'm going in there. Now get out of my way." Shadow said. "You're not going nowhere." Shadow, undeterred, just said "Chaos…..LANCE!" and shot 6 powerful lasers from his hands, which burned right through the jackals on the way. And they didn't get up.

Shadow then dashed into the facility, and Eggman, Orbot and Cubot were shocked to learn this when he tripped the security cameras along the way. While the robots were rebuilding one of Eggman's most powerful creations, Metal Sonic, Eggman ran to the intercom, which blared through the entire base. "We've got an intruder! Shadow has entered the facility! Defense Squad Jackal has been completely annihilated! All available troops, intercept that blasted hedgehog by any means necessary!" He grabbed the Phantom Ruby, and spawned several Egg Pawns outside to defeat Shadow. "I went through great pains to get the best mercenaries around and he still totally wrecked the defense squad! SHADOW!" Shadow was pleased to hear he was making an impression. "Hmph. Should have hired some defense squads for the defense squad, eh, Doctor? After he dashed through several Egg Pawns, Eggman was even more shocked, but Metal Sonic was finished, but not ready for battle yet. "Unbelievable! He's getting deeper and deeper into the facility! That computer running analyses in the core is invaluable! One of you idiots, stop that hedgehog now!"

But Shadow ran through all of them in a heartbeat and made it through several blockades of robots. "Shadow is STILL alive?! At least the analysis of the Phantom Ruby was completed yesterday, but...no, I still can't let this facility be destroyed! Is there ANYONE left out there?!" Shadow was incredulous that he would still need this when he could just build another one. "Seems like this place is important. No wonder the cannon fodder has been putting up a fight." He then ran somewhere and hid, so the cameras wouldn't track him anymore, and prepared to destroy the facility. The lead jackal was hopping around hunting for Shadow, and was ignoring Eggman in his headphones. "Hey! I know you can hear me. You're captain of Squad Jackal. Your squad was useless! GO CLEAN UP THEIR MESS ALREADY!" "Yeah, yeah, I got it." The jackal turned his ire to Shadow. "You. You destroyed my squad. I'll show you why they call me the ultimate mercenary!" The jackal then jumped out at Shadow, intending to knock him down and then close in for the kill. "Take THIS!" But before he could even touch him, Shadow teleported away, almost as if he knew he was coming. The jackal was surprised. "What?" Shadow then teleported in front of him and kicked him to the sky, then punched him to the ground, and kicked him to the pillar on his right. Shadow was less than impressed. "Worthless. Don't show your pathetic face around me ever again." With that, he teleported inside and laid waste to the facility. But the jackal, well….. "I….I'm shaking….me?! Me...afraid….? Pathetic?! Me….he's calling ME weak?! No. NO! I am not weak. I….I'm not. I am not weak. I am not weak! IIIIIII AAAAMMMM NOOOOOOTTTTTTT WEEEEAAAAAAKKKKK!" And the jackal let out a bloodcurdling scream to the heavens.

Eggman was definitely not having the best day. Even though he found the Phantom Ruby, he was attacked, lost several robots, a defense team and a facility all in one day. "Ironic, isn't it? You find the weapon of your dreams and life throws you a heapful of coal. Is the captain back?" "Yes, boss. He's...working on Metal." Orbot confirmed. "But be cautious. He's gotten a little screwloose.", Cubot said. "Ok. I'm gonna have a word with him right now."

Eggman walked into the room where the jackal was with Metal Sonic. He was working on how to power him up for battle. Eggman walked in. "Hey. I am not pleased with your performance. You and your squad let Shadow in the facility and now it's gone!" But the jackal wasn't listening. He was instead working on Metal whilst he was saying, "I am not weak. I am not weak. I am not weak. I am not weak. I am not weak. I am not weak." "Hey, you. Hello? Are you alright?" "I AM NOT WEAK! I AM NOT WEAK! I AM NOT WEAK! I AM NOT WEAK!" Eggman just slapped him. "Hello, anybody home?" The jackal instead was wearing a Groucho Marx mask on his face. "Oh, hey, boss." "I am not pleased with your performance. You and your squad let Shadow in the facility and now it's gone! I worked my butt to get the best mercenaries around, and he still wrecked the squad and the base!" "Shut it. Do you think I don't know about that?" "No, I was just checking." "Can you believe him? Calling me weak. I'm not the weak one. He's the weak one. I assure you, I will not let it happen again. If I find him again, NO MORE MR. NICE JACKAL!" He grabbed a robotics book, ripped it in half and continued working on Metal.

Eggman, feeling his rage and dedication, looked at the jackal, and then looked at the Phantom Ruby. He then got an idea, since the Phantom Ruby was capable of doing so much, he thought he could make his own warrior, like he did all the time. "Hey, jackal. I happen to have a super-special plan." "What is it?" Eggman held up the Phantom Ruby from his back. "No. You told me we had to use our skills. You never said use the Phantom Ruby at all. You said only you could!" "That was before I saw they stink. But they could use some improvement. The Phantom Ruby worked with you. And I can't give it to the bots. Not to mention I made several prototypes, but I think this could be the one that works perfectly. So what do you say?" The jackal sighed. Maybe his skills were mediocre, but they could use improvement. He let go of the old him. "Sure. But I can never show my face again. That's why I wear this mask." "But it's too obvious. Any sane person would recognize you. But I happen to….have something I've been working on just for you. CUBOT!" Cubot ran in. "Yes, sir!" "Bring me Project Datatracker." "Yes, sir."

Cubot ran away and came back in with a silver-colored mask with large ears with white and black circular patterns on the inside, with the right ear being black with white circular patterns and the left being white with black circular patterns. While the left eye are visible through a red visor, the right eye was covered by a black lightning bolt-shaped piece, similar to an eyepatch, that was connected to the mask's right ear. "This mask will help you hide yourself. The right is like an eyepatch and will help you read target data and statistics. And it glows when the Phantom Ruby works. That's how we get you." The jackal put on the mask and reached for the Phantom Ruby. "WAIT! Before you do…" He handed the Phantom Ruby to Orbot. "Sculpt this one and the others into triangular shapes." Orbot did just that, put them in bags, and brought them to Eggman. He took one of the unshaped Phantom Rubies. "Now, let me do one last thing before I destroy this Phantom Ruby Prototype." He then went into a large room in the base and used the prototype to open time-space rips and dimensional rips. "Bring me the most powerful villains this side of the continuum and back!" he commanded the Phantom Ruby. It did so. Eggman brought the jackal back the final Phantom Ruby. He then placed it in between the middle of his chest.

The jackal felt the power of the Phantom Ruby surge within in. He saw a vision of a jackal hitting a gong, a bird screeching, jackals on rollerblades, one which holds a medallion saying in unison, "The power within. The power within.", one which holds a medallion that whispers "The power within. The power within.", which he then sees himself say "The power within. The power within. The power within. The power within. The power within. The power within.", who then took two clumps of sand and cried out, "THE POWER WITHIN!" The vision then faded. "The power. The Phantom Ruby has changed me. I HAVE BEEN….REBORN! DEATH TO ALL WHO OPPOSE THE EGGMAN EMPIRE!" Eggman laughed. "That's the spirit! You too, robots!" The jackal then zapped Orbot and Cubot, who then transformed into giants with their heads still intact. "Oh, man! The power!", they both cried out. Eggman was chuckling to himself. He then saw a vision of Sonic and his friends falling to the jackal and his many forces, with Eggman finally ruling the world. "Sonic. How I hate him. And all of that loathing will be focused into this invincible instrument of destruction! Every defeat, every humiliation at the hedgehog's hands will be returned a thousandfold by this! This is it. The ultimate weapon. With this, I can expand the Eggman Empire across the globe and conquer the world! This world is finally mine. I finally found it. This is what I was looking for. Not even Earth's strongest heroes will be able to stand against this! With this weapon of mass destruction, a never-ending supply of robots and enough lackeys to last a generation, I'd be invincible!" "Boss, they're here!" "Yes! My minions are all here! Come, new Eggman Army leader. We have a lot of work to do!", he beckoned to the jackal.

With that, Eggman, Orbot and Cubot went to meet the new lackeys, while the jackal followed. Eggman and his robot lackeys met with the many villains, and they all agreed to serve him. With the new Eggman army, and the Phantom Ruby's ability to create an army of robots and Shadow clones to last them, there would be no stopping them, as the jackal would lead them to create a new era; the Eggman era! And as for the jackal, with his new identity solidified by his mask and new powers, he decided to change his name. Now he went by a new name, and that name is….

Infinite.


	4. A Hero Falls

Sonic. He was one of Earth's most powerful warriors for peace. Ever since he first stepped into the battle against malevolence, Sonic was called the champion of peace, and was renowned all over the world for saving it countless times. During his many adventures, Sonic traveled from the ends of the world to the far reaches of space and time, and faced countless trials that had tested him to the fullest, earning him many titles, allies and the scorns of several foes. Well-known for his legendary cocky attitude, easy-going demeanor and somewhat short temper, yet strong sense of justice, compassion, and love for freedom and adventure, Sonic used his abilities to protect the innocent from his world and those beyond from the forces of evil, especially his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman. But not today.

He was out running as usual when he saw Green Hill. Normally he would be happy to be walking along it, but not today. He was shocked, because he had seen that all of the water had been replaced with an immense amount of sand. "Wha...how did….what the….WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE WATER?!" Normally he wouldn't bother to dip in the water, due to his fear of water, unless he was drinking. Also because he couldn't swim. But not today. He was horrified. He was even more shocked when he continued his path only to stub his toe on something, only to learn it belonged to a giant Death Egg Robot. "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO GREEN HILL?!" He was mortified beyond belief.

Then he got a call from his Miles Electric. It was a handheld that was yellow, and acted as a communicator. Visualize a Nintendo Switch in handheld form, except without the Joycons. It was from Tails. Ever he found Tails following him, he has been like a older brother figure to the little fox. He was called Tails because he had two of a fox's tails, and because of this he was bullied relentlessly. He also became Sonic's best friend and intelligence expert. Sonic also taught the fox to use his two tails to fly in the air by rotating them around as one would helicopter rotors.

"Hey, Tails!" "Hey, Sonic. You saw it too, right? The sand replacing the water, and all those robots?" "Yeah, I still don't understand how the sand happened." "Yeah. I did about three aerial strafe runs around the area, and I saw these pumplike robots drilling the sand in the water. I saw this insignia on all of them." The insignia looked like a skull except in Eggman's shape. "That insignia…." "That could only mean one thing…." "Eggman."

At that moment, an explosion went off in the distance. "Sonic, Eggman's forces are surging into the city! We need you here now!" Tails shouted with shock. "Hold on, Tails. I'm on my way!" With that, Sonic ran off at the speed of sound. "I don't have time to lose. Better kick things up a notch!" Sonic made a sonic boom and sped off as quickly as possible. While he was running, Sonic stumbled upon a sandworm and dodged when it tried to eat him. "Man, look at the size of this thing! Guess all kinds of things show up when your neighborhood turns into a desert. Clean-up's gonna be a chore!" The sandworm flipped off one his hinds and ate Sonic. But he was undeterred. "You're so gonna regret that. Hedgehogs don't make good snacks." Sonic hit the worm in the belly several times until he passed on and spit him out. Sonic kept running after that and ran into an area where it looks sandier and sandier with every passing second. "Green Hill's looking a lot more like Sand Hill right now." Sonic commented. Man this place is a wreck. One of my favorite spots is all ruined. Thanks a lot, Eggman." Sonic said sarcastically. While he was running, Sonic came across then came across the pumps Tails had told him about. Using an Arduino Tails had given him, he hacked into the pumpbots and reprogrammed them to pump water instead of sand, and continued along his path. He then passed the city limits sign. "This is it for Green Hill, so the city must be close. Let's get ready for some action!" Sonic said. It didn't matter what Eggman had, he was going down!

When Sonic arrived, Tails was busy handling the Egg Pawns with his wrench. He waved it around like one would a sword, and kept defeating wave after wave after wave. "Is that all, Eggman? Keep them coming!" "Gladly!" Eggman used a Phantom Ruby Prototype to spawn many more Egg Pawns. But before they could even attack, Sonic arrived and with relative ease, took them all down. "Tails, that was awesome. Primo, bro!" "I gave it my all." "Ok, let's finish this, Egghead!" Sonic said. "Sonic, glad you could make it. It will be your finish, not mine. Now, feast your eyes on the surprise I have for you!"

Sonic attempted to attack, but was knocked back by a big force. He was shocked when he saw who it was. "Snively!" It was Eggman's nephew, Snively, who was controlling a giant robotic mech suit. "Hedgehog. Long time no see!" He tried to attack but was uppercutted and knocked downward, and he was even more shocked. "Orbot! Cubot!" The giant Orbot and Cubot had been the attackers. "Yes." "And we've gotten a well-needed upgrade!" A walrus, a water buffalo, a cobra, two pronghorns, a squid, an orca, a chinchilla, a bird in a mech suit, a thylacine, a lynx, and a vulture all landed. "The Egg Bosses!" "Sonic." Five robots, dressed like a king, a cop, a ninja, a stage magician and a Mad Max-like rider, landed down. "Who are they?" "We are the Hard-Boiled Heavies. We have come to destroy you." "That goes quadruple for us!" Sonic was mortified. It was Scourge, who was practically the evil version of Sonic, and his Suppression Squad, who were the evil versions of his friends. Scourge then whistled. A hedgehog dressed in Amy's old clothing, and cackling insanely along the way, and with a spikier hammer, aimed right for Tails, who picked up his wrench to shield himself. It was Rosy the Rascal, who was Amy's evil version, except one thing set the two apart; Rosy was insane. "Rosy the Rascal?" "YES! I came with my Scourgey here to break you all to pieces! Shatter-shatter!" She then laughed insanely again. Two echidnas dropped down as well. "Lien-Da and Misty-Re?" "Miss us, Sonic?" they both asked. Sonic and Tails attempted to attack again, but were both knocked down, by a shocking sight. It was apparently Shadow and Knuckles, but they looked different. Shadow's skin was gray, his eyes were green and he lacked a mouth. And Knuckles's skin was yellow, his eyes were red and he also had no mouth. "Hello, Sonic." "Shadow? Knuckles?" "No. I am Mephiles." The Shadow copy said. "And I'm Iblis. REMEMBER IT!" The Knuckles copy said. "Ok, how do I not remember those two?" A human in a cape, a bad haircut, and red eyes dropped down. "Erazor!" "Who?" Tails asked. "Haven't seen you in a while, you filthy rat!" "I'm a hedgehog! You hear me? HEDGE! HOG!" And Metal Sonic came down ready for combat. "Metal Sonic!" "Target reconfirmed. Extermination mode initiated. Vengeance inevitable." An elephant in a robe had levitated down. "Mammoth Mogul? Side note, didn't we already beat you?" "I'm like air, hedgehog. I never truly go away." Two trolls came down, levitating as well. "Ixis and Walter!" "Sometimes you have family in very high places." A witch in the distance could be heard laughing. She was with Eggman too as she flew down on her broom. "Wendy!" Tails said. "Tails, dearie, long time no see! Oh, Witchcarters!" A bear, a wolf and a rabbit all on Extreme Gear flew down. "Carrotia, Falkewulf and Bearenger!" "HOW COME HE SAID MY NAME LAST?!" The bear yelled. "Tails, you've been gone a while." the rabbit said. "Time to get knocked down! The wolf said, while giggling. A series of corks and bombs fell down, exploding along the way. A weasel dropped down. "Sonic! My prey has returned!" "Fang!" A bear and a bird came down as well. "Bark and Bean!" Three demons then flew down as well. "Zavok! Zazz! Zik!" "It's beatdown time, hedgehog!" Zazz said. And finally, a water creature dropped down as well. "Chaos!" "I'm gonna enjoy this." Bark said. "This rat falls tonight!" "Uh, Sonic?" "Yeah, Tails?" "How are we going to beat all these villains at once?" "THAT'S THE WHOLE ENCHILADA! YOU CAN'T! YOU DON'T!" Bearenger yelled. The villains all laughed. "That's what you think, Eggheads!" "WAIT! There's one more who wanted to see you fall." Zik told them. "My honey!" Carrotia said. "And our leader!" Mammoth said. All the villains whistled. At that moment, the jackal, Infinite, levitated down. "Alright. Here we go!" Sonic sped to the villains but Infinite, in a flash, kicked Sonic back. "That's my darling!" "Geez, this guy's even faster than me! Tails, can you get a reading on this guy?" "I'll try!" Carrotia levitated a piece of bricks and threw them at Sonic, which slightly grazed him in the arm. Erazor then kicked him upward, and Infinite shot him with a laser blast. All the villains then attacked in an immense onslaught of Sonic, with it getting more painful as the brawl went on. "Nice!" Eggman said. "Tails, what's up with that reading?" "I'm trying, but these reading are all jumbled up! They don't make any sense!" In a few seconds, the villains were beating on Sonic so severely that he was actually bleeding. In a few seconds, Sonic was beaten so badly, he couldn't manage to get back up. Though he tried to, he finally fell down, unconscious. "SONIC!" All the villains laughed while Tails mourned. A few seconds later, he became angrier than he had ever been before. "THAT'S IT!" Tails shouted as he picked up his wrench. "YOU MONSTERS! YOU'LL ALL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST THIS WORLD!" Tails tried to attack but Carrotia telekinetically stopped him, broke his wrench and flung him off to the sky, with him screaming along the way. Eggman was astonished. "We did it. We finally did it. WE BEAT SONIC! THIS WORLD IS OURS FOR THE TAKING!" Eggman cried. All the villains laughed as no one knew what they would do next. Sadly, it was true. No one saw it coming. The unthinkable has happened….

Sonic has finally fallen.


	5. Friends in Other Dimensions

Tails. Knuckles. Sally. Amy. Silver. Blaze. Cream. Vanilla. Omega. Rouge. Bunnie. Rotor. Tikal. Dulcy. Marine. Antoine. Mighty. Ray. Honey. Cosmo. Breezie. The Secret Freedom Fighters. Razor. Coral. Pearly. Hope. Mina. Sticks. Jet and the Babylon Rogues. Even though Sonic's friends put a valiant effort against Eggman and the villains, they were no match for their overwhelming power and never-ending number of robots. Not even Shadow was able to stop them, especially not Infinite, who had been waiting for the moment to beat him into submission.

With Sonic and his friends defeated, Eggman's army quickly took over. Within 6 months, all but a few isolated areas were under their control. Despite the overwhelming odds, Sally, Shadow and Knuckles met with Sonic's other friends and they all decided to band together as a rag-tag resistance continuing the fight. And now, some new faces were going to join the struggle.

Tails had apparently "lost it" since Sonic fell. But he didn't. He was depressed, yet furious at the same time. The memory of Sonic falling to Eggman and the villains had been haunting him for the past 5 months. He would never forget the day he wasn't there in time. He believed he couldn't do anything, like before he met Sonic. He felt as if….he had failed Sonic. Only Cosmo understood. But Tails still had some aces up his sleeve. His friend Cream asked him to help her use the powers of a megaphone, and he managed to grant her a sonic scream, so that she could defend herself, because let's be honest, there was no way Cheese was going to handle all of the enemy himself. And he had a...somewhat romantic relationship with Cosmo.

Tails was out working on rebuilding an old robot that had turned on Eggman. That robot's name was E-102 Gamma. "Ok, that should have done it. And activate." But he still wasn't ready for combat. "Dang it. That should have worked. I couldn't figure it out for you, buddy. I'm sorry I wasn't smart enough." He wasn't talking to Gamma. He would sometimes speak about his perceived failure to save his friend. The thrashing the villains did on Sonic had made a big number on his heart. Then he heard a voice summon him. "HEY! LOOK! THERE'S SOME LITTLE KID PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS!" Bearenger shouted. It was the Witchcarters, the Hooligans and Chaos out doing patrol. They swooped down to Tails. But Tails was ready. Even since Yacker and the Wisps heard what happened, they went straight to Earth and decided to help. Together, they built the Wispons, weapons that had the same powers as the Wisps themselves. Tails had brought one that was based off the Ivory Wisp. He held it up, ready for battle. "Alright, you don't wanna get shocked, then stay back! Especially you, Chaos. You and I both know water can't stand against electricity!" "We've been shocked worse!" Falkewulf said, giggling. "Brace for it, Tails." Bark said. "LET'S GET HIM!" But before they could so much as touch him, three errant fireballs hit Bark, Carrotia and Fang in the back. And it burned, obviously.

"WHO DARES!" "I do!" a deep voice said. A flame erupted in front of Tails, and it revealed a brown-colored boy who had long black hair, and was wearing all black: a black tanktop, black gloves, black gym shorts, and black boots. He looked 18. "Step away from the fox, unless you want to get...toasted." He then set another fireball in his hands. "Same here!" a loud voice shouted. A monkey wearing a orange shirt with an A on it was rolling around in a hamsterball. He then got in a defensive position in front of Tails. "Leave the dreamer alone!" A person in a jester-like costume flew down from the sky in front of Tails. "I say leave him alone as well!" A woman in a fairy-like costume flew down in a way similar to the jester. A spray can was thrown at Bearenger. It was a boy with headphones, frequency glasses, a yellow shirt, long beige pants and a pair of rollerblades ran in front of Tails. "Ditto." A bird-like figure flew down in front of Tails, and then turned into…a man with spiky hair, long pants and no shirt. Another man with a headband, a white tank top and green pants ran in front of Tails as well and cracked his knuckles. A flash of light soared down, with a cat on a motorcycle and a hound who was levitating down. The flash of light looked like a blue lizard a bit, but she said "Don't worry! Team Lilac's got your back!" "I told you it would catch on!" the cat said. And a small hedgehog that looked like Sonic a bit came through a portal and ran right in front of Tails. Tails was astonished. "Sonic! You...you're alive!" "Of course I'm alive, kiddo!" He sounded more youthful as well. "Oh, you're that Sonic from another dimension!" "There's way more superheroes than we can handle! I'm a bit scared!" Bean said. "Oh, don't be. This will make this victory all the sweeter!" But before they could fight, a sword dropped from the left. 4 hooded figures walked out of the shadows and stood in front of the heroes. One of them said, "Now that looks like fun. Mind if….we play?" The figures were revealed to be 4 turtles, one wearing a blue mask and holding katana swords, another wearing a red mask and holding twin sai, another wearing a purple mask and holding a staff, and one wearing an orange mask and holding nunchaku. "Dibs on the rabbit lady!" the orange one said. "We fight as a team, Mikey." The blue one said. With that, the heroes, with Tails at the helm, attacked the villains. They summoned a large number of Shadow replicas to hold them off, but they all fought bravely and took them out. Think all the Neo fights in the Matrix trilogy except slightly more awesome. Then the villains had enough. "Had enough?" The purple turtle said. "We're just getting started!" Fang said. The villains initially got the upper hand, but the heroes' numbers and teamwork took them out. They were forced to retreat, but Tails shocked Chaos while they were running.

With that over with, it was icebreaker time. Tails wanted to know who all the other people were, since he already knew about the littler Sonic. "So, let me get this straight; you're both defenders of the worlds we go to when we sleep, you're the defender of a jungle island with help from 5 other monkeys, you're nighttime vigilantes fighting an evil clan of ninjas who have the worst name ever, you're a delinquent who goes around spraying graffiti everywhere and listening to a pirate radio station, you three are vigilantes who protect a priceless artifact, you're a guy who has biochips implanted in your body, giving you the power to turn into animals, you're the leader of a team of young cops facing off against a crime syndicate, and you're the leader of a resistance squad inside Cyberspace fighting off an empire led by an empress and her 6 daughters with several other people?" "104, to be exact." "So, who are all of you guys anyway?" Tails said. "And one at a time, please. "My name is NiGHTS." The jester said. "My name is Lumina Flowlight." The fairy said. "AiAi." The monkey said. "I'm Leonardo." the blue turtle said. He then pointed to the red turtle, the purple turtle and the orange turtle. "And these are my brothers; Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo." "Name's Beat. Don't wear it out." The boy in headphones said. "Name's Lilac." The lizard said. She then pointed to the cat and the hound. "These are my friends, Carol and Milla. Carol came up with the name." That helped clarify things. The men kneeled down. "Name's Luke." "And I'm Axel." "And you?" Tails said to the boy who wore all black. "It's Hotaru." "Huh?" "Hotaru Shinpei. You asked." "My name is Tails. Do any of you know how you got here?" Everyone nodded no. "So I'm guessing you all came from dimensional rips, right?" Everyone nodded in confirmation. "Maybe the power that Eggman is using is somehow affecting other dimensions." "Who's Eggman?" Luke asked. "He's my archenemy. He's been trying to take over for quite sometime." The littler Sonic said. "Sadly, he's done it now." "How did this happen?" "Eggman had all these villains with him. And this new one with a strange power beat Sonic into submission. But now that you're all here, maybe we can fight them off and take back our world. But, I have to ask; what were you doing before you got here?"

"Well, I was taking a rest from helping some dreamers accomplish their dreams while saving the real world from my former master, Wizeman, when this portal opened up and sucked me inside, and before you knew it, I was here!" NiGHTS said. "Same here." Lumina said. "I was playing Monkey Target with my friends." AiAi said. "We were out for pizza." Michelangelo said. "I was out spraying graffiti on Dogenzaka Hill." "We were watching a movie." Milla said. "I was walking out of a research lab." "I was out at the gym." "How about you, Hotaru?" "Uhhh…."

 **FLASHBACK:** A few hours earlier in his time, Hotaru was with his friends in Cyberspace. He was with the band, led by Rimu Ashido, the richest and most spoiled student in his squad. "Ok, everyone! Now let's pick up where we left off last time." "Last time, Hotaru wasn't here." His best friend, Habaki Kagami said. "I was sick, ok?" "Ok, enough lollygagging. Let's get started." They all started playing a song, that to Hotaru, sounded very familiar. "Wait...is this….Oh, god! Please, no!" "Darling, what's the matter?" Hotaru's girlfriend, Mai Deijikia asked. Hotaru took a breather and then asked, "You spent 40 hours rehearsing a Nickelback song?" "Yeah, is there a problem with that?" "There kind of is. The people hate Nickelback." "Well, they ordered an orchestra and they're getting one." Rimu stubbornly said. "Is this the one about the photograph or the one where he wants to remind you of something?" "I don't know. Do you?" "I don't know! I can't even tell you?" "Are you saying that they're the same song?" "Yes!" "How dare you!" "No, seriously! There is a website online that proves _**that they're literally the same song!**_ " "Well, how about you show me, then?" "Well, stop playing this song and I'll show you!" "OK, HOTARU, GET THE FLIP OUT!" "You know what? That's exactly what I'm gonna do." Hotaru left, flipping the bird while he was at it. Mai then slapped Rimu afterwards. **END OF FLASHBACK**

"...I'd rather not talk about it." "So, isn't there a resistance or something?" Axel said. "Well, there is, but I prefer to stay away from it. Ever since Sonic got beat, I got more aggressive. The others thought I lost it, but I do bring new members from time to time. If you want, I can take you to the base." "Sure.", they all said. And with that, they were off to the Resistance base.


	6. New Recruits

The Resistance's base was hidden within the mysterious Angel Island. Tails had to make a few upgrades to his plane, the Tornado, but thankfully, AiAi, Donatello, Carol, Luke and Hotaru were able to help out a bit. They actually knew a few things about fixing technology, and together, they added extra seats, rechargeable fuel cells, heat-seeking missiles, ion thrusters, diagonal stabilizers, lock-on targeting systems, expanded aerodynamics, landing gear, tessellated laser cannons, and cup-holders. "Ok, we're done. Introducing…..the Tornado 3-X!" This Tornado looked more advanced, was yellow-colored, and was more aerodynamic than ever, with it also being able to fly to space. With it built and ready for flight, Tails and his new friends got in, the hatch closed and they all flew off to the Resistance base.

Angel Island. It was home to the Chaos Emeralds, gems that were known for many miracles among Sonic's world. In retrospect, they were just as powerful as the Phantom Ruby, but even they weren't powerful enough to stop the Phantom Ruby, Eggman and his cronies now. There was an elevator built in it and a camouflage system to help hide it, so Eggman would never find it and attack it. The elevator went to the Master Emerald shrine down to the Resistance base. After taking the first one you had to walk a wide bridge to another elevator which took visitors to the main course; the Resistance base. Inside the Resistance base was a control room, a briefing room, crew quarters, a medical bay, a mess hall, a lounge room, an engineering room, a communications room and a command center in the middle. Beyond the four rooms were several waterfalls. Amy, Vector, Cream, and Blaze were coming down to the base, tuckered out from their last mission. Waiting for them was Nicole, Vanilla, Marine, Espio, Charmy, Tikal, Silver, Bunnie, Rotor, Dulcy, Antoine, Honey, Elias, Shard, Leeta, Lyco, Lupe, Mighty, Ray, Razor, Coral, Pearly, Mina, Sticks, Hope, Cosmo, the Babylon Rogues, Yacker and the Wisps. "Oh, man." Amy said. "I never knew screaming so much would make me so thirsty." "Come on, girls. It wasn't that bad." "Eggman's army is unstoppable!" Vector proclaimed. "Now that part isn't true, but without Sonic, the people are losing hope and giving into despair." Blaze added. "Despair is a luxury we do not have, no?" Antoine asked. "I still have a feeling Sugarhog's still here with us. Do ya'll think he might be…?" Bunnie asked. "I'm an optimist, but I'm also a realist. Sonic is gone, Bunnie. And Tails is...Tails has just lost it." Silver said. "Tails hasn't lost it! He's just….he's just….he's just….he's just...concerned, that's all." Cosmo said. "That's fair. I mean, Tails has practically spent his entire life with Sonic, and seeing him fall like that...must've rocked him to his core." Razor said. He felt sympathy for Tails. "Speaking of Sonic, I bet Eggman's got him locked up in a prison cell, waiting for the right moment to launch him out into space, and torturing him just to get a sick kick out of his expense!" Sticks said. "Think about it, now. I'm sure Eggman wouldn't rub his victory in Sonic's face before he gets rid of him!" "You may be right, Sticks. After all, this is Eggman we're talking about. I'm pretty he'd celebrate before he starts causing trouble." Rotor agreed. Coral, the Resistance's priestess, was able to use her magic to put the camouflage field up around Angel Island, thanks to Amy helping her learn self-esteem. And the best part, she could read minds, enabling her to sense when someone new comes. She felt Tails' presence and pressed her hands to her temples. "Speaking of Tails, he's here. He's with some new faces. He may have brought new recruits!"

Tails and his new friends flew right in the field. The others were, well, confused. "Tails, are you sure this is the place?" Milla asked. "Yeah, it looks like there's nothing here." Raphael said. "Don't worry. This is it. You just don't see it yet." Tails said. "What are you talking about?" Luke asked. " _Tails! Can you hear me?" "Yeah, Coral. Loud and clear." "Did you bring some new recruits for us?" "Yep." "Ok, I'm letting you in! We'll see you and the new recruits inside the base!"_ "What just happened?" Hotaru asked. "Just a little telepathic conversation." A bit of the camouflage field went up and let the Tornado 3-X in. Everyone except Tails and the littler Sonic were shocked. "An invisibility field? This place has an invisibility field?!" Donatello shouted. "Man, Angel Island's looking good!" "Ok, now we set our sights on the Master Emerald shrine." "Got it. I'll be looking for it." AiAi said. After they flew for a few minutes, AiAi saw something. "Hey, Tails. I see a large, greenish-yellow emerald, in this big center and it's really big and real shiny."

"That's it! That's the Master Emerald! Prepare for landing! Keep all hands, feet, arms and legs inside the cockpit at all times!" The Tornado 3-X's landing gear initiated as a runway near the shrine activated and pulled out. The Tornado landed in the runway and screeched to a halt. After it was safe, Tails and the other heroes went to the elevator's location. Tails pressed a down button and the elevator came up. The heroes walked into the elevator and Tails pressed the 3 button. The elevator took them to the bridge where they walked to the other one that took them to base.

"Tails! It's so good to see you!" cried Cosmo, as she enveloped him in a hug. "Nice to see you too, Cosmo!" Tails said, very happy to see her. "Tails! You're here!" "Been quite a while, Tails!" "Welcome back, Tails!" "Hey, guys. I brought some newbies here for you. And here's the cool part; they all came from different dimensions." Tails then introduced them as they walked in. "They don't look like much." Charmy said. "Neither do you." Jet said. "These guys are NiGHTS, Lumina, AiAi, Beat, Luke, Axel, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Lilac, Carol, Milla and Hotaru." The Resistance soldiers and the new ones did some greetings and got along pretty well. "It's nice to have you here." Silver said. "Yeah, you guys are gonna make great additions to our team!" Razor said. "We could use it. Without Sonic, the people down there are showing immense fear to Eggman, and it makes him and his followers more stronger as we speak." Vanilla said. "As much as it pains me to say it...we may have to do this without him." Tails said. Everyone was shocked to hear him say that. "I know it's shocking to hear me say that, but you've all been hoping for a miracle these past 6 months. Maybe it's time we all make our own. Eggman's army has everyone terrified. If you want these people to rally against him, then we have to show them...that strength doesn't just come from numbers." Tails said. Everyone thought about that for a while. Coral then pressed her hands to her temples again. "Apparently, not everyone's terrified. There's another new recruit coming in; a survivor from the city!" Coral said. "The mate may be promising. Nicole, can you show us the file on the new mate from the city?" "Accessing, Marine." After a few seconds, Nicole popped up a file on the screen. "Subject name: Spike. Gender: Male. Species: Wolf." "Oh thank God he's okay!" "You know him, Lupe?" "He's my cousin." "And our brother." Leeta and Lyco said.

Then three others, Shadow, Knuckles and Sally, came in. "Shadow! Knuckles! Sally! What's the sitrep, Commanders?" "Glad to see you're all still alive." Shadow said. "Hey there, Tails. Eggman's forces have chewed through our defenses at Green Hill, and the resistance in the city is reported that whatever it is that finished Sonic-", Knuckles said, before Shadow cut him off, and pointed to Tails. "Sorry, Tails. I'm still not used to saying that." "It's fine, Knuckles." "But whatever it is has got them running in fear." "All except for this brave kid, who managed to escape the battle in one piece." Sally said, as Spike entered. The three wolves ran over to Spike and bear-hugged him. "Oh, Spike!" "Don't you ever scare us like that again!" "I'm fine, girls. You can put me down now-you're choking me!" Spike said. "Sorry." Spike ran over to the other newbies. "Meet our newest recruits." Everyone cheered. "Wait. Does that mean…?" Hope asked. Shadow sighed. "Yes, we have to show them...the video." Everyone except the new ones protested. "Come on, we've seen that video 8 times!" Tikal said. "Maybe this will be the last time. Anyway, this is Eggman Empire propaganda, blah-blah-blah, it's poorly made, blah-blah-blah. Just watch it." "Nicole, play Eggman Empire advertisement." Sally said, unenthusiastically. "Again?" "Again." "Playing advertisement, Sally."

The commercial went like this, it showed the Eggman Empire logo on a title card, that read "The Eggman Empire: "It's not what you think!" It showed a bright, happy environment. "Why live here when you could live…." It then showed several buildings with smoke and smog blotting out the sky. "...here?" The smog cleared out to show a figure that looked like Spike a bit asking a question. "You're probably asking yourself, "But don't I need clean air to live?" It then showed a little worm. "Why, of course you don't- not with Dr. Eggman's all-inclusive Robotomy Treatment, that is." Then it turned into a robot, like the worm Badniks you see in the old Sonic games. "Perks include; never having to eat, sleep or think (static) drink, ever again! That's what we call living the good life." It then showed a bunch of Egg Pawns, all waving. "Come live in Dr. Eggman's empire, and begin your new life, where the possibilities are (cough) infinite." A figure that looked a lot like Infinite appeared behind the Pawns. "You'll love it! Love mandatory."

The commercial ended. "That was terrible." Michelangelo said. "It's more painful the 9th time." "Either way, take these." Tails gave Spike all of his Wispons. "You're gonna need them." "Thanks." "Ok, let's get going, guys. The world's not going to save itself." Knuckles said. Everyone cheered. Their mission was clear. Sonic or no, Eggman and his army were going down!


	7. The Rescue Attempt

After Tails left Angel Island with Classic Sonic, Spike and the others were in the briefing room with Shadow. He was telling them their gameplan. "In Eggman's new empire, there's only one rule; bow down to him or be arrested. There's a famous rule out there in more hostile environments, and it's called survival of the fittest. It describes a predator hunting its prey as a saying of "Only the strong will survive." Eggman thinks this means him and his followers. It's primarily a mission of ours to prove him, his followers, and the people who fear them wrong. A resistance victory causes some people's fear to wane and fight back against him. That's what we need to do. If we can get enough people to rally, then victory will surely be in our grasp, and the world will be free." Shadow told the recruits. "Shadow!" "What is it, Nicole?" "Knuckles and Sally want to see you and everyone else in the main room!" "Meeting adjourned." Everyone went off to the command center. "What is it, Commanders?" "We've just gotten some incredible news! Sonic is alive!" Sally said. Almost everyone showed surprise, joy or relief at those news. "No way. That's excellent!" Silver said. "What?! Oh, thank goodness! I knew it! I knew it!" You could tell Amy was the most happy to hear that. "Sonic's currently being held in the orbiting prison. Our spies there say he's in a solitary confinement cell, and they've been torturing him for months." "See? What did I tell you?!" Sticks asked. "This is no time to brag, Sticks." Storm sternly said.

"That's horrible! We have to rescue him!" "Plan's already happening, Vanilla. Knuckles is putting a squad together to go to the Spaceport in the Chemical Plant to "borrow" a shuttle." Shadow said. "Alright, I'll take….Amy, Blaze, Cream, Marine, Espio, Tikal, Silver, Antoine, Honey, Mighty, Razor, Coral, Mina, Sticks, Cosmo, Wave, NiGHTS, Lumina, Luke, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Lilac, Milla, Hotaru and Spike. C'mon guys, who's up for an old-school style jailbreak?" Knuckles asked. "Let's get going, there's no time to lose!" Hotaru was ready already. "Wow, he's pretty impulsive." Mina said. "Cream, promise me you'll be ok up there." "I'll be fine, Mom. Besides, I have Amy and Blaze to keep me safe." "I hope so."

And so with that, the squad went to the Spaceport. Espio's job was to scout for enemies in the orbiting tunnels, and report all clears to the resistance fighters, so he had some other resistance soldiers form a team within. "Espio here. My team's engaging the enemy in the orbiting tunnel. I think we can hold them off for now." Then he took notice of the Witchcarters and Hooligans. "Wait a second. The Witchcarters and Hooligans are here. Keep silent or they may attack." Then he saw Infinite with them. "Watch out!" "The masked one's here. The one who took down Sonic." Honey reported. "Stay focused, guys. Head for the left wing. There's a shuttle there." Shadow ordered the team. Despite the odds, the team pushed forward. Silently they headed for the left wing where the unmanned shuttle was waiting for them. They found the area where the shuttle was. But there were several robots near it. "We need to do something about the bots. Spike looked at Hotaru and then pulled out his phone. "What are you doing with my phone?" "Looking for something." He then found an app on it and aimed it toward the bots. After a few seconds, they walked in, but the bots spotted them, yet before they could attack, Spike pressed a button on Hotaru's phone, which caused the bots to shut down and fall to the floor. "Spike, this is no time for-" "It's okay, Commander. His phone's a hacking device. See?" He then showed the app he was looking for; one that can hack anything electronic. Think Watch Dogs. "Oh. Never mind then."

With that, the resistance soldiers boarded the shuttle. "Perfect. They won't mind if we borrow this for a while. As soon as everyone was seated, the shuttle was bearing ready to liftoff. "Go flight." Knuckles said. "Knuckles, can you hear us?" Rouge said. She and her friends Breezie and Omega acted as moles in the Empire. "Rouge! Omega! Breezie! It's about time. How's Sonic doing?" "He's been better. They're getting ready to banish him into space." Breezie said. "What? You can't be serious!" "Eggman has been keeping Sonic active for all of timespan of 6 months. He has been waiting to show Sonic his empire has reached completion before he proceeded with termination." "And torturing him just to pass the time." "Again, what did I tell you?" Sticks said. "Eggman has gotten information about your rescue plan and has proceeded to move ahead of scheduling." "He's being held on the Death Egg. The clock is ticking, boss. Rouge out." "Omega out." "Breezie out." "Thanks for that. Knuckles out. Listen up. Eggman's unaware we have one of his shuttles, but he knows we're coming for Sonic. We're going to the Death Egg. You all know what to do. Let's go get Sonic." Knuckles said, as Amy entered the coordinates of the Death Egg. "Coordinates locked." A wormhole opened up. "3, 2, 1." The shuttle entered the wormhole and sped off to its location.

After it made it to where it was going, they flew to where the prison was. "Ok, find the cell area where Sonic is being held, and quick!" With that, the resistance soldiers sped off to find Sonic, but were ambushed by Erazor, the Egg Bosses and the Hard-Boiled Heavies, who summoned many Egg Pawns to take them out. "Listen up, Spike. Our other forces are busy dealing with enemies. And it looks like you took the best route. It's up to you to save Sonic now. Find him!" "Don't worry, Commander Shadow. I'll take care of this." Spike said. With that, he ran off to find Sonic. " _This place looks like some kind of internment facility. Sonic is probably here too. Security looks tight, so I'd better stay on my toes._ " Spike went around searching several rooms in Wings A-D. " _Nothing in this one, either. It looks like many people were held here, one more thing Eggman will answer for._ " Spike went on further, accidentally tripping the alarm along the way. The alarm went off. " _Great. They're on high alert now, but I feel the wind's presence grow. Sonic must be close! Don't fret, Sonic! I'm coming!_ " Spike ran onto Sonic's apparent cell. There he saw three of the fabled Deadly Six; Zavok, Zazz and Zik; all three of them were guarding Sonic's cell. Sonic was there, but not just him, but his two roommates, a pika named Relic, and Gemerl, Cream's robot butler. They were all chained up, with the chains being made from the Phantom Ruby. "This is the end." Zavok said. "End of the line, arrogant little one." Zik said. "It's R.I.P. time for you!" Zazz exclaimed. "Hey, there. They're finally gonna let us out." Relic said. "Not you. Him." Zavok said as he pointed at Sonic. "Sounds like the party's started. Wanna let us go and join in? No? Of course not. You hate fun." Sonic said. The alarm went off in there as well. "System failure. All systems emergency shutdown." That released Sonic, Relic and Gemerl from their Phantom Ruby-produced bonds. "Wha- _THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!_ " Zazz cried out. "The end, huh?" Relic asked. "Now, let's you try something now that we're free." Gemerl said. "Foolish ones. Getting out of your chains does not make you free." Zik said. "Yes, it does!" Spike said as he dropped down from below. " _Oh, man! It's Sonic, and two other captured heroes! Now's my chance to rescue them, but look who I'm up against; three of the Deadly Six's Zeti; the big one, the crazy one and the old one! Luckily the fat one, the emo one and the female one aren't with them, but they're still pretty formidable! But if it's to save Sonic, I have to fight them off! You know what-suck it up, Spike! If I have to beat these tools to save Sonic, so be it!_ " "You're going down!" "Fine, then, you mewling child. Come and face the inevitable." Zavok said. "You will understand the error of your ways!" "It's beatdown time!" Spike prepared to fight the first half of the Deadly….3 ½.


	8. Operation Pyramid Smash

Spike had found where Sonic and his roommates were, and now it was time to take on his first villains. Zavok stood on a hornet-like robot, Zazz stood on a bear-like robot, and Zik stood on a sandworm-like robot. " _Oh, great. Giant...animal...monstrous….robots...controlled by...magnetic field manipulating...demons. Why do you do this to yourself, Spike?! Suck it up! You started this, so now you're gonna finish this!_ " Spike thought. "I can't wait to see how long you last against this, boy!" Zazz shouted. "Well, then, come and get me, Zeti. Leave your robots. Pick up your weapons and fight." They didn't do so. They must have known he was scared silly right now. Either that or they were underestimating him. Which several people did. All the time. Even his sisters.

Zavok summoned several Egg Pawns to attack Spike, but he, with an annoyed look on his face, just pulled the Rhythm Wispon from his backpack and fired a powerful sonic blast that destroyed all the Egg Pawns in 9 seconds flat. His singing voice sounded like Doug Walker holding one note for a really long time. " _Are you kidding me? Egg Pawns? That's practically just cannon fodder!_ " Spike thought. The Zeti went in for an all out attack, but Spike got out of the way before they could so much as land a shot on him, and Zazz wasn't able to know where he went. "Wha-WHERE'D THE PUNK GO?!" "Uh, Zazz…" Zavok and Zik pointed to the ceiling. Of course, that's where Spike was, shivering in fear. "Sonic, he looks a bit...cowardly to be here to rescue us." Gemerl said. "He does, now. He's just getting started." Sonic replied. He could tell, as he was like that before he became a hero.

Spike, seeing an opening, shot his wire at the back of the sandworm, ran behind him, grabbed his cane and whacked Zik in the back as you would a golf ball, sending him flying into the wall. " _I hit Zik in the back...and it felt good! What is this sensation? Because I want more of it!_ " "Hey, come on! You forgot to yell "FORE!" Relic complained. "I'm gonna mess you up!" Zazz shouted, as he lunged out at Spike, leaving his robot in the process, but again, he got out of the way, and shot right at Zazz. He then struck Zazz in the leg with Zik's cane, and then pulled out the Cube Wispon, and used it to knock Zazz unconscious. Zavok locked on for an attack, but Spike dodged away, and Sonic landed in front of him, and punched and kicked him until he could take no more. "No! How could I lose to the likes of you and your lackeys again?!" Zavok cried. "That was a blast. Bring some chili dogs next time!" Sonic said. Zavok tried to get up, but couldn't as he finally fell down. "Well, that took care of that." Relic said. Spike then took the Bomb Wispon, set several bombs to the jail cells entry areas and cried out, "Run, my fellow rookies! You are free! FLEE THIS CAULDRON OF PAIN, MISERY AND TORMENT!" And so they did, screaming all the way, as they ran for the shuttles and escape pods.

"Thanks for helping us out there, uhh….." Sonic said. "Spike. It's always a pleasure to help out another hero. Who are the other guys?" He was referring to the two he shared the cell with. "Oh. These are my roommates; Relic and Gemerl." Sonic said. "Relic, Commander Knuckles's old friend, and Gemerl, Cream's robotic butler?" "Well, I prefer caretaker rather than butler." "Can't tell you how much we appreciate it. Especially me. It's been awhile since I've seen a friendly face." "I can tell, what with you being Eggman Empire Public Enemy No. 1 and all." Spike said. "Hey, Spike, you still in one piece?" Knuckles asked on Spike's watch, which had a Skype-like camera. "Yeah. And look who I have with me." "Hey there, guys!" Sonic said while greeting the Resistance. "He's got Sonic!" Amy cried out from the shuttle. Since Spike ran out to find Sonic after escaping the ambush, the others had decided to guard the shuttle from any other attacking robots. Spike could hear the entire resistance cheering. Spike, Sonic, Relic and Gemerl ran for the shuttle, and once they were inside, they sped off back to Earth. "Listen up. It will take a while for re-entry, and the Doctor's heard we've taken a shuttle, and has sent fighter bots out to shoot us down. Luckily, your shuttle is fitted with fighter jets and defense systems, so use them to blast them out of the sky. Shadow out." With that in mind, Razor, the Turtles, and Hotaru got in the fighter jets and blasted the incoming fighter bots out of space. Imagine an epic fight in the Star Wars franchise. The Resistance shuttle landed on Angel Island and the returning warriors returned to the base, where everyone still there welcomed Sonic back, especially Sally, who gave him a big welcome back hug.

"Sonic, finding you alive has been the best news we've had in months." Vanilla said. "And here's the bad news. GUN has gained intel that the Doctor's got a munitions factory in Green Hill, pumping out weapons for his war efforts." Shadow said. "A factory? But we can't take out Eggman and his followers' home base in Metropolis if they have a factory supplying them!" Pearly cried. "No fooling, Pearly, but Spike's come up with a plan. Spike, if you would be so kind." Sally said. "As Sally just said, I have a idea. I've noticed that Coral possesses the ability to cast magic spells and Blaze and Hotaru have the capability to conjure fire at will. A GUN operative took a few pictures inside the factory. Eggman's also producing bombs. If we can set one of them to just the right temperature, it will explode and set off an organized chain reaction of explosions so powerful, they'll take the factory with them." Sonic was looked a little sad after hearing Spike's plan. "Sonic, is something wrong? Did I say something to upset you?" "No, it's not that. It's just...you...really, really remind me of Tails." "I know. Out of all of us, Tails was the one missed you the most. I'm sorry for reminding you of him." "It's cool." "Listen, Sonic, I know you just got back here, but we're fresh out of other ideas. Can you escort me, Coral, Blaze, and Hotaru to this factory so we can destroy it?" "You sure about getting in on this, bro? I don't mean to be rude, but you were shaking like a leaf the whole time you were at the Death Egg." Leeta commented. "I was? Oh, I mean, I was, because it's really cold in space, and the factory is nice and warm, at least it will be when it's burnt to the ground!" Spike said. "That's the spirit, bro!" Lyco said. "Right, we're calling it...Operation Pyramid Smash (with Extra Hot Sauce)." Shadow said. "Why the hot sauce bit?" Silver asked. "Because four people are blowing up a factory with fire." Charmy said. "Well then, that Pepperoni Pizza with extra hot chili peppers we Turtles like would be really good right now!" Michelangelo said, while slurping his tongue with delight. "Mikey, this is no time to think about eating pizza, and besides, only you and Raph like that pizza topping! It's….uhh...a little too spicy for me and Donnie." Leonardo sheepishly said. "Either way, Sonic, you take the lead. Coral, Blaze, do your best. Spike, Hotaru, just make sure you take good notes." Knuckles said. "Already one step ahead of you, Knuckles." said Hotaru, who was doing just that.

With that, Sonic, Blaze, Spike, Coral and Hotaru set off for the Arsenal Pyramid in Green Hill. "Sonic, you seem more excited than ever ever since you got back. Why's that?" Blaze said. "I've got six months of payback I'm just dying to spend! And this seems like a pretty good start." Sonic replied. In a few minutes, the five made it to the Pyramid. "There it is!" Coral shouted. "The Doctor's factory is within the Pyramid. I can send some reinforcements in if you don't think you can handle it." Shadow said. "No need for reinforcements, Commander Shadow!" Spike said. "Yeah, the four of them are more than enough!" Sonic said. "Cool your jets, Shadow. We'll blitz this joint and open up a path for the resistance, right, guys?" Hotaru said. "Right!" They said. They reached a bridge-like path upwards. "If we walk up there, it will take forever to take this factory down! We're finished!" Spike said. Sonic just slapped him. "Spike, don't stress it. We'll find a way. Heroes always find a way." He said. Spike thought about that for a second, then came up with a plan. "Maybe you could use your powers?" "Good idea." Blaze said. She and Hotaru engulfed themselves in fire and bursted all the way up the bridge, Coral cast a spell on herself, turning her into a ball of light that bounced up and Sonic and Spike, well…. "What about us?" "Take my hand." Spike did so, as he wouldn't doubt the word of someone like Sonic. "Spike, hold on tight!" With that, Sonic ran up the bridge, faster than he had ever run before. Spike took a while to get on his feet. The bridge led to the very top of the Pyramid. "Sonic! The entrance's in here." Blaze shouted, as she pointed downwards in the little hole at the top. "Bingo!" Sonic said, as Spike contacted the Commanders. "Commander Shadow, we found a way in." Spike said. Shadow smiled at that news. "Perfect! You should be able to get into the factory through there. Continue to stay alert. Shadow out!" "This gonna be fun!" Hotaru said, enthusiastically. The five skydived downward, avoiding all the lasers along the way. Once they landed, they set off for the bomb bay in the factory. "So they're building weapons here, huh? Making everybody work like robots? It'll be Eggman's turn to get pushed around when I get a hold of him!" Sonic announced. "Uh, I think you mean, when _we_ get a hold of him." Spike said. "Oh, right, yeah, we. That's what I meant." With that, Sonic and the others took off to the bomb bay, and after hopping around and taking out Egg Pawns along the way, they finally made it to the bay.

"Here it is. Remember, set it to just the right temperature, then it'll blow like popcorn!" Spike said. "You wanna get in on this, Spike?" Hotaru said. "I...uhh...don't know, I think I...uhh.." "Spike, look. I can tell you're scared." Sonic said. "Really?" "Yeah. We all can. We were scared starting off too." Coral said. "Really?" "Yeah. It comes with being a newbie." Hotaru said. "We all had experience with first hero job fright." "I used to fear Eggman, like all the people do now, but when I first beat him, I feared him less and less, until I became his archenemy, and became one of the greatest heroes who ever lived. "Yeah, when I started off as a priestess, I didn't know if I would be able to do it right. I began to doubt my abilities, and my worth, but then I met Razor and Pearly, and they helped me work my power. I became a mother-like figure in our little team, and with Amy's help, I became skilled in the rites, and I became one of the most powerful magic-users of all time!" Coral explained. "And I was born with my flames. I wasn't able to control them, so kids used to make fun of me for it, and I spent most of my life alone. I saw my powers as a burden, as a pain, as a curse, and I believed protecting the Sol Emeralds was my responsibility alone. Then I met Sonic and Cream, before she got her screaming powers, and they showed me the way, and they taught me that I couldn't hold the world on my shoulders. I started being more open to people, and I gained more respect, but even though I'm honored to be known as the Princess of the Kingdom, I prefer I would be better off known as a hero, just like Sonic." Blaze explained. "Well, what about me? Before I first went to Cyberspace, I used to hate the world around me and most of the people living in it, and for 12 years, I took care of my brothers and sisters, way better than our Trunchbull caretaker would. When my family went out, I used to stay in our house all the time, waiting for my parents to come home, but I feared that they forgot about us. But they didn't. Turns out they were just looking after one big, scary world just...praying for some heroes to help them break free from the controlled environment they live in. And me and my friends...we were those heroes they had been asking for. I wasn't ready, at first, but my friends, family and all the legendary heroes in Cyberspace, they put me on the right track. I used to think my friends would be just like all the really bad humans in the world, only to know they had hearts of gold." Hotaru explained, as he took out a picture of him with his friends, all of them smiling. "Are those...all your friends?" Spike asked. "Yep. And if most of the humans in this world can have hearts as golden as theirs...then maybe my world wasn't so bad after all."

"You see, Spike, fear comes with the starter pack of being a hero. But let me tell you one thing: you can't let your fear own you." Sonic said. "There's this poem I loved reading to my little sisters, and one line shows what we mean: "And if you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there's something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quit. You built a cast around your broken heart and signed it yourself. And you signed it…" Hotaru then pulled his tanktop up and showed a tattoo on his chest that looked like a heart with a cast on it that read; "They were wrong." Spike read the tattoo. Hotaru then put it down. Spike started to understand. Despite being some of the greatest heroes of all time, even they doubted themselves the first time. "I think I get it. Sonic, when I was fighting the Zeti on the Death Egg, I hit Zik with his own cane and I loved it!" "That's a little feeling we like to call "catharsis." It's the tingly feeling you get when you go for an emotional release; we heroes give bad guys what they have coming." Sonic said. Spike smiled. "Speaking of which, how about we blow this popsicle stand?" Blaze said. Spike picked up the Burst Wispon, Blaze set a fire in her hand, and so did Hotaru, and Coral cast a spell that gave her fire powers. "Alright, let's crack this Eggman factory!" The four set fire to one of the bombs and waited until it reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and looked red and was about to burst. "Okay, guys, looks like it's time to do one thing." Sonic said. "What is it?" Hotaru asked. "RUN!" They ran out before the bomb burst, as just like Spike predicted, bombs blew in a set chain reaction until the factory was reduced to rubble. "Operation Pyramid Smash (with Extra Hot Sauce); mission accomplished!" Shadow said.

"So why were you so scared on Eggman and his minions, anyway, Spike?" "It was right before the Commanders found me. Me and a fighter troop were taking on two of his new lackeys." He was talking about Infinite and Carrotia of the Witchcarters, who had recently developed a sort of...crush on him. And don't ask why. "There is no reason to resist. Your savior is no more." "Before we could make any progress, they eliminated all of my friends." Infinite charged a laser blast, and indeed, did just that. Carrotia used a psychic blast infused in a kiss, and it did just that too. Spike tried to leave, but Carrotia used her telekinesis to pick him up and have him face the two. "We can taste that you're scared, buddy. All that anxiety and doubt…" "It's delicious." Carrotia then dropped him on the floor. "Give into your fear. Flee, screaming, and we'll let you live." Spike did just that, and Infinite and Carrotia laughed.

"Spike, it's okay to feel scared. I'm actually a little scared of the new guy, too." Sonic said. Then the watch went off. "It's Commander Sally!" Spike answered the watch. "Yeah?" "The Hooligans are attacking inside the Mystic Jungle! And they have the masked one with them! Silver, Lilac and Jet are fighting them, and they need backup!" "I'm on it." Sonic said. With that, he ran off to the jungle, ready for a second round with Infinite. And the others took Spike back to base, with Spike now knowing he may be needing some courage, because one thing's for sure; he was in for the long haul against Eggman and his followers!


	9. Playing Games with an Evil Masked Jackal

Sonic was on his way to the Mystic Jungle to find Silver and go have another round with Infinite, Eggman's second-in-command and leader of his minions. Once he got to the jungle, he saw that it had been almost remade into a casino-like place from head to toe. "Sonic, watch out. The Doctor's forces are scattering bombs like confetti!" Shadow said. "We can't go on like this!" Amy shouted, as she was keeping watch on some smaller resistance fighters in the jungle. "This whole place is going up in flames. Not the kind of fireworks I like!" Sonic commented. True to that, Egg Pawns were shooting out bombs all over the jungle and detonating them like wildfire, bringing trees down and shooting resistance soldiers into the sky. It was not a pretty sight, believe me.

Some of the resistance soldiers couldn't take any more. "We're doomed! We can't hold out any longer!" "You've done plenty! Great job!" Sonic commended. They actually did, as they managed to find several bomb spawners and shut them down before they could do any more damage. "Sonic, we've located the Hooligans and the unknown enemy. They're both in the ruins up ahead with Silver, Jet and Lilac keeping them occupied." Nicole told him. "Great, Nicole! I'll make sure everyone's efforts weren't in vain." Sonic said. While Sonic made his way through, he got a siren on his watch. "Unidentified life form on the radar!" Nicole said. It was a huge, giant, titanic...snake. It was one of the really large snakes that the Mystic Jungle was known for, and it wasn't even one of the Egg Bosses! "Looks like all the explosions riled it up. Doesn't look I'll get past without a fight." The snake then did what that sandworm did to him the day he fell to Eggman and his followers; it flipped off one his hinds and ate Sonic. Sonic was undeterred, yet really annoyed at the same time. "Are you kidding me? First that giant worm and now you?" Sonic just did what he did the last time, and the snake spit him out. After that, Sonic ran on. He was ready to beat the shins off of Infinite!

In that part of the jungle, there Silver, Lilac and Jet were, fighting off the Hooligans, who were being led by Infinite. "This wasn't part of our agenda, but we're always happy to crush some heroes." Bean said. "Yeah, it keeps the rabble in line. Shows them that there is no hope." Bark said. But the heroes were having none of it. "Does anyone but you believe your lies?" Silver asked. Lilac charged at Fang, Bark ran for Jet, and Bean tried to blow Silver to smithereens, but Silver used his telekinesis to redirect the bombs, causing Bean to drop a small jewel that looked a bit like the Phantom Ruby. Infinite was less than impressed. "Why did Eggman ask me to babysit these fools?" Infinite charged at the heroes, but Sonic bopped him out of the way in time. "Sonic!" Silver said. He then picked him up with his telekinesis. "Time to tag out, guys. I'll take it from here." "And let you have all the glory? No dice, Sonic." Jet said. He was his rival, so he always knew how to annoy him.

"Well, look who's back from the dead. The little blue savior. But what's that I smell? You reek of fear. Glad to see I left an impression." Infinite said. "Carrotia picked a good guy to get hitched with, didn't she?" Fang asked. "She sure did." Bean said. "Yeah." Sonic just sniffed his armpit in response. "That's not fear- I ran all the way over here. And Carrotia's little boyfriend here hasn't left an impression. I don't know anything about him, not even his name." Sonic said. "You may call me...Infinite...in the brief moments that remain to you." "Great. See, Infinite? Now we're getting to know each other. So what's your favorite color? Do you like long, romantic walks on the beach? What's the source of your power? You can skip the first two questions if you like." Sonic said. "In this order: orange, sometimes and this source of my power is none of your concern." "Sorry, but you've just got to share the secret of your power with me. I INSIST!" YOUR INSISTENCE IS FUTILE!" "I'M YELLING WORDS!" Bark shouted. "ENOUGH!" Infinite shouted, activating the Phantom Ruby. Sonic and the others were picked up in Infinite's gravitational pull, and the Hooligans knocked the four to an unknown location. "Take care of them." Infinite ordered the Hooligans. "You got it, boss!" Fang replied.

With that, the Hooligans went off to deal with Sonic, Silver, Lilac and Jet. The four landed on the unconscious snake, and the Hooligans landed down. "Still thrashing around, I see, Sonic." Fang said. "Haven't seen seen you in a while, Fang. Why'd you get in on this Empire biz?" "Because we never were able to get some pretty good pennies with you waltzing around!" Fang shouted. "Those Chaos Emeralds would've made a pretty buck at the big black market, but you and your friends had to butt in and ruin everything!" Bean said "Eggman promised us a lot of dough at our workmanship for him. I wasn't able to get a punch in last time, but when we're done with you, we'll be rich!" Bark said. "Well, if money's what you want, then try telling us how Infinite gets his powers." Jet said. "No can do. With whatever it is, Infinite's one of the strongest people I ever met. You have a reputation of attacking the weakness when you know what it is." "And besides, your head's worth way too much dough." "Well, then, let's see you take me on!" Sonic said.


	10. The Meeting (or Carrofinite)

Sonic gave chase after the Hooligans, and Bean was first up. Sonic sped up to him, but Bean conjured several humongous bombs, which it took Sonic several jumps from bomb to bomb without getting grazed to attack him. Sonic had to contact Spike to help out, and he analyzed the pattern Bean gave off when he threw his bombs and came up with a plan which had Sonic kick every single bomb Bean threw. Next was Bark. Sonic went into a one-on-one fight with him. Imagine a Tekken battle where Bark wins once, but Sonic eventually gains the upper hand and wins. Finally, he took on Fang, who also took this to a one-on-one standoff. Sonic still managed to get the upper hand, remembering the time he faced Fang in that tournament for the Chaos Emeralds. Infinite came up, disappointed but intrigued. "Well, you've improved since the last time. But you will still lose." He said, as he activated the Phantom Ruby. He then shot an energy beam at Sonic, who tried to dodge it but failed, knocking him off the snake and tumbling on the floor. Fang aimed his cork gun at Sonic, but Infinite stopped him. "Hold your gunfire, Fang. You may have failed, but believe me, he's not even worth the effort to finish off." "That's what she said!" said a giggly voice.

It was Falkewulf, and his two Witchcarters, Bearenger, who was standing on a tree branch with him, and Carrotia, who was levitating next to them. "Wha-when did you get here?" Bean asked. "WE WERE WATCHING YOU FAIL!" "Hey, darling." "Carrotia." "The Witchcarters." Fang said. "So, how'd your big failure go?" Carrotia asked. "Don't patronize us. Sonic just...got the upper hand, that's all." Bark said. "How about you, sweetie?" Carrotia asked Infinite. "Why are you calling me those names instead of Infinite?" "That's how lovers address each other, silly." "Lovers? I have no idea what you're talking about." "Of course you do! You're just playing hard to get." "I am?" "Either way, what'd you get on the hedgehog?" "It's strange, but..his abilities exceeded his previous data." "Well, unlike Eggman's bots, he can grow. In fact, he gets more powerful every second." "Well, I will teach him to hold his silver tongue the next time we meet. You can count on that." Then their watches beeped. "All Eggman warriors, I am holding a very important meeting in Green Hill. I expect everyone to be on time. Eggman out!" "Guess it'll have to wait for now. We'd better head to Green Hill before the boss blows his stack!" Fang said. With that, the villains headed for Green Hill.

Silver, Lilac, and Jet was headed for where Sonic was, and were shocked to see him on the floor. "Sonic! You okay?" Silver asked, as he used his telekinesis to pick him up. "Uhh, I'm fine, Silver. I...just have to know how Infinite gets his powers!" "Don't go obsessing about it, Sonic. Or the Legendary Wind Master over here might get some traction." Lilac said. "Hey!" "But we do need to know so we can beat this guy!" "True, true. Let's head back to base for now." Jet said.

So you're probably wondering, what's Tails and the littler Sonic doing? They were out scouting the land for people who needed help, but weren't having much luck. They were out flying over when Classic Sonic noticed the sandier Green Hill. "Strange, Tails. I see desert over there. This is Green Hill, right, kiddo?" "It is. Since Eggman took over, he thought it was a good idea to add a whole wide load of sand to the picture." "Speaking of which, I also see Robotnik down there too." "Okay, we'll hide so we can find out what he's planning. We're coming in for a landing." The Tornado 3-X opened up its landing gear, came in for a landing, and Tails and Classic Sonic hid in a bush, right next to where Eggman was. Tails then pressed a button on his watch. "Camouflage field, activate!" It turned Tails and Classic Sonic invisible, so the villains would never find them. "About time you got here." Eggman said to his minions, all of which had just arrived. "We left as soon as we got the message, Eggman." Mammoth Mogul said. "Ok, let the meeting begin!" All the villains cheered. "Great." Eggman picked up a holographic sheet that had all the villains names and read "Roll call".

"OK, let's get this roll call thing over with. Dr. Snively." "Here, uncle Eggman." Snively said. "Orbot and Cubot." "Here, boss!" The robotic giants shouted. "Infinite." Infinite raised his index and middle finger. "The Hard-Boiled Heavies." "Here." The five mechanical Egg Robos said. "The Egg Bosses." All of them raised their hands. "Scourge and the Suppression Squad." "All present and accounted for, Boss." "Rosy the Rascal." "Over here!" Rosy said in a sing-songy voice. "Lien-Da and Misty-Re." "Present." The two said. "Mephiles the Dark and Iblis." "Present." "PRESENT!" Mephiles and Iblis said, with Iblis screaming his. "Erazor Djinn." "Here." Djinn said. "Metal Sonic." "Present." Metal Sonic said. "Mammoth Mogul." "The one and only." Mogul said. "The Naugus Brothers." "Right here, boss!" Ixis and Walter said. "Wendy Witchcart." "Right here, dearie." Wendy said. "Falkewulf." Over here, boss!" He said. "Bearenger the Grizzly." "HERE!" "Carrotia the Rabbit." "Right here, boss." "Fang the Sniper." "Over here." "Bark the Polar Bear." "Right here." "Bean the Dynamite." "Here." "Zavok, Zazz and Zik." "Present." "Right here!" "Down here." "And Chaos." Chaos raised his hand.

"Great, now we can get this party started. First of all, you are all aware of the Resistance, right?" All the villains groaned. "Yes! They're like something on your shoe that you can't scrape off." Snively said. "Luckily for us, I have a plan, which I wrote on these sheets of holographic paper; just in case anyone's spying on us." The villains took the holographic papers and read the plan on it. "Ooh! This one looks promising to delete that resistance once and for all!" Cubot said. "And it'll happen in just 3 little days. Second, do any of you have a Phantom Ruby Prototype on you?" All the villains, except for Bean, pulled out jewels that looked like the Phantom Ruby. "Is that a problem, uncle?" Snively asked. "No. In fact, I was going to ask you to destroy them!" "What? I thought they would make a great buck." Fang said. "No, Fang! Only we, the majority, can use them; not even the Resistance can get their grubby little hands on them! So just destroy them, ok?" The villains placed the prototypes in a small pile, and, using their powers, blew them to bits. "And with that, the disposal of the Phantom Ruby Prototypes is now complete." Infinite said. "They were defective models. They could only read the DNA of the ones who triggered it." Eggman said. "Only beings of our strength of will could activate them." Mephiles said. "It doesn't matter now, with the lab locked down in Mystic Jungle." "Which reminds me, didn't you and the Hooligans run into Sonic there after he escaped, Infinite?" Mammoth Mogul asked. "Yes, Mogul, but he was powerless against us. There's no need for concern." "You let the rat LIVE?! That is a great source of concern!" Erazor said. "For Eggman, maybe." Carrotia said. "Carrotia has a point. He has defeated you for decades, yet we defeated him in our first encounter." Infinite agreed. "Phantom Ruby Prototypes? And the other me's alive?" Classic Sonic asked Tails, who were still there, invisible. "So, we proceed with this plan of yours, boss?" Orbot asked. "Of course we do. When it's finished, the resistance will be erased. The world will be nothing but ashes, from which a glorious Eggman Empire will rise!" Eggman said. "And the resistance will yield to the Eggman Empire's power! All will sumbit!" Ixis said. The villains cheered and laughed. "That's the spirit!" Eggman said, laughing. "This meeting's adjourned. Let's head back to Metropolis. We have a long 3 days ahead of us. But let me ask you one thing; What did you join me for?" "REVENGE!" Eggman laughed a bit. "And who are you gonna destroy?" "That stupid hedgehog!" The villains took off for Metropolis, laughing all the way, except for Snively.

Classic Sonic jumped out at him, and hit the Egg Pod he was in. "Sonic! How are you here already?!" "This isn't Sonic, Snively!" Tails said. "Well, technically, he is, but he's a Sonic from another dimension!" "Well, another dimension, eh? Other dimension or no, I'll still crush him all the same!" Snively said, as he released a spiked ball from underneath the pod. Classic Sonic just looked annoyed. "Oh, come on, this is just child's play!" Imagine the first time you beat the first boss in the first Sonic game. "Was that all you got, Snively?" Classic Sonic asked. "No, it wasn't, hedgehog! I'm just getting started!" Snively then pressed a button on the pod. It summoned a giant machine from the behind of his pod. "Behold….the Egg Dragoon!" Snively proclaimed, as he backed the pod into the empty cockpit of the Dragoon. The Dragoon shot at Classic Sonic with bullets and drills, the only things it could do. Tails had a backup plan thankfully. He and the Wisps had made copies of all the Wispons to make sure there was enough for everyone, and Tails pulled out the Quake Wispon from his Tornado 3-X and slammed it on the ground, jutting out 4 rocks that Classic Sonic used to hit Snively with. "You've got a lot of nerve for a pint-sized Sonic from another dimension! Still, this Egg Dragoon has only lost 10% of its combat strength." Snively said. "You're lying!" Classic Sonic cried. "You won't have to wait long to find out, hedgehog!" Tails slammed the Quake Wispon again, jutting out 5 rocks and Classic Sonic used them to hit the Egg Dragoon again. The Dragoon at critical damage, Snively launched out and the Pod tumbled to the floor. "Well, that was a grand battle. Too bad we're never going to do it again. In just three short days, my uncle's plan will annihilate the bothersome lot of you." "Really? What is it?" Classic Sonic asked. Tails shot him a look that just cried out "Are you kidding me?" "I'm not gonna tell you. It's like they say; the anticipation of the end is worse the end itself. Though not in this case, maybe." Snively said, and he flew off, in pursuit of the other villains. "Well, that doesn't sound good." "You think?"

Meanwhile, the other villains were preparing their next course of action. Infinite had decided to rest a while, because his battles were getting a bit tiring. Eggman asked Carrotia to escort him to his room. "And this is where you'll be sleeping for now." "Thank you, Carrotia." "You're welcome, sweetie. Now I know there's a lot of cute girls in this empire of Eggman's; so don't get any ideas, Cutie-pie!" "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Oh, I'm just kidding. See you tomorrow, honey!" "Good night for now, Carrotia." Infinite got in his bed, took his mask off and slept.

If you hadn't guessed from the several hints, Carrotia really, really loved Infinite. She loved him so much, she watched over him from the door. But in her heart, she could tell that while love was mandatory outside the Empire, within in the inner circle it was almost, well, outlawed. It depressed her that she might never be able to tell Infinite how she really felt about him, regardless of his mask, so much she started to….sing, for some reason. "My darling, while you sleep, all is well, we are workmates and that's swell, but the truth is that I have a secret to tell….I love you!" Carrotia sang. "People say it's wrong, it's not well, that a rabbit and a jackal are in love, but I know in my heart this was so meant to be!" "'Cause I love you so much, too bad we can't touch, if we did the boss would kill us, and that would be such a really big drag." Carrotia solemnly sang. "If only we could hug and could kiss, be in heavenly bliss, but Eggman would be so mad, that we'd look just like this, as we'd hemorrhage and gag, oh excuse me." Carrotia continued to sing, also picking up a skeleton she found on the floor. "Romeo and Juliet were in love but I bet it was nothing compared to the feeling I get around you..." "But you don't even know that I'm there, you don't see that I care, could it be that for me, you're not even aware that I'm perfect for you?" "Because I'm never-ever mean, never lie, and I'm sweeter than pie, and I'm thoughtful and gentle, and timid and shy, and tender and loving, and true!" "But darling, protect you I will, don't worry, just chill, cause there isn't a person that I wouldn't kill, for you.." Carrotia sang. "Can't you see, we were destined to be, for we have love, evil love?" "I know, yes, I know, that you can't hold me, your loving arms enfold me..." "Fate told me love, evil love... standing here, you're so near and yet so far…" Carrotia sang, even more sadly. "Here we are, what to do...oh, poo." She continued to sing. "You're my Romeo, I'm Juliet, we are so perfect and yet, if we touch, not by much, till, on all you can bet, it's good-bye and I'll cry, as we die….from our evil love…." Carrotia finished her song. "Hey, Carrotia, why were you singing in front of Infinite's door?" Fang asked. "Uh, no reason, Fang." Carrotia got up and left the room.

Well, that was really necessary. Let us never talk about it again. But try to figure out one thing; what did Carrotia see in Infinite? Was it his power? His leadership? His bad-boy attitude? His personal vendetta with a hero? What was it that made Carrotia love Infinite so much?


	11. The Plan

So after...whatever that was, the Resistance were busy working on a few things; Hotaru was training with Spike, on how to fight in close quarters combat. Hotaru actually knew a few things about fighting, and was trying to teach Spike, but it took Spike a while to get the hang of it. "Don't worry about it. You'll get it eventually." Hotaru told him, but Spike wasn't sure if he would, but he knew he had to do one thing; keep at it, because as Sonic told him, heroes never quit. Speaking of Sonic, he was relaying information he had learned about Infinite to Shadow, Knuckles and Sally, who would then relay it to the other resistance. "So, this guy's name is Infinite, huh?" Knuckles asked. "Yeah. His favorite color's orange, and he sometimes like long, romantic walks on the beach, but the only thing he didn't tell me was the source of his power; something we'll need to know if we want to beat him." Sonic said. Shadow looked a bit guilty after hearing that. "Shadow, is something wrong?" Sally said. "No, nothing's wrong." "Yes, there is, Shadow. Why else would you look so...upset?" Sonic asked. Shadow sighed. "The way Infinite is now...it's….because of me." He said in a really small voice, making it hard to hear. "What?" "IT'S BECAUSE OF ME!" Shadow yelled. "Shadow, what did you do?" Sally asked.

"It was a few months and a few minutes before the Doctor took over. I was out on an op with Rouge and Omega." Shadow was in a part of the city. "That area is enemy territory. Keep going, Shadow!" Rouge said on Shadow's transceiver. Shadow sped through several Egg Pawns. Rouge acted as communications at the time. She had the transceivers work into both Shadow and Omega's, enabling them to speak with one another. "E-123 Omega here. Extermination proceeding without incident. No problems to report." Omega said. "Extermination?! This is supposed to be a recon mission! You can't go making a big scene!" Rouge annoyedly shouted. "You should've known better than to send Omega out on an op like this." Shadow said. Shadow sped even further, thinking it would be a breeze... until he heard Omega say, "Unknown hostiles encountered! Rouge, come in! Position coordinates lost! Current location unknown!" "Omega, what's going on? Respond!" Rouge shouted. "I got a little worried, so I went to see what was up." Shadow narrated. "This is E-123 Omega. All sensors set for emergency shutdown. Damage to parietal lobe region. Casualty report: Rouge fallen. Shadow to be eliminated!" "Omega, what happened? What's going on over there?" "Unidentified system intrusion. Emergency withdrawal! I am E-123 Omega, the most powerful…(static)" "Omega, don't worry! I'm on my way!" Shadow ran to where he could confirm he was. "When I found him, I saw Infinite and the other villains looming over him. Like you, I was shocked to see the Doctor had found so many minions, even out of people who he opposed or didn't know." Shadow narrated. The main focus was Infinite chuckling to himself.

"The world's most powerful robot is no more a challenge than Crabmeat. As I suspected, our powers are without peer. They are the ultimate strength!" Infinite commended himself, the Witchcarters and the Hooligans, as they laughed. Shadow was shocked to see the new ones, not to mention Omega lying on the floor. "OMEGA!" Shadow shouted in disbelief. "Hey, sweetie." "Are you referring to me, Carrotia?" "Yeah. Look who's here." Infinite turned around and saw Shadow. You couldn't see it, but he was smiling. "Ah, and still more wonderful; a not-so-tall, dark and brooding guest has arrived. We've been waiting for you, Shadow." "Tell me what you all did to Omega. Now." "Fools like him are of no consistence. Come on now, Shadow. Our long-awaited reunion, and still you spout such nonsense." "I don't know you nor your lackeys, and the only thing of no consistence around here is that big mouth of yours." "How dare you insult him!" Carrotia said to Shadow. "I suppose you would think so. I am Infinite. These are my associates; the psychic temptress, Carrotia, the ball of fury, Bearenger, the crazy hopper, Falkewulf, the sniping marksman, Fang, the silent battler, Bark and the explosive wonder, Bean. You say you do not know me, yet I remember you very well. To you, it was simply another in a long list of Eggman bases you tore down without a second thought." "Infinite told me every transgression I made against him; me killing his squad, the beating I gave him, calling him worthless to his face; all of it! It hit me that while I was the long end of the stick, what I did to him traumatized him for quite some time, especially what did to his squad, and he told me that he obtained something he called "the power." Shadow narrated, becoming more forlorn as he went on. "I've only become what I am because of you, yet you don't remember. But I suppose that's the way it goes. It simply means that the old me was too weak, too pathetic, too arrogant to remember. And now, you've become nothing more than a nasty little insect, waiting to be crushed underfoot. Thanks to the limitless powers me and my associates have obtained, we have become unstoppable!" "We'll see about that! Chaos…" "But before I could even move a muscle, Infinite trapped me inside this pocket dimension which looked just like that dimension Hotaru came from...Cyberspace, was it? I could hear Infinite and his lackeys laughing, which faded, meaning they were leaving me trapped." "Hey, where are you going? Let me out! I want out!" "But I fought my way out of it." Imagine clearing the Hero Mission on Mad Matrix in Shadow's own game. "But, unfortunately, by the time I got out of there, I was too late. Sonic, you and Tails were defeated by Eggman's forces. I fought back against them, but they fed off my resistance; the more I fought, the stronger they became, until I too had fallen to Eggman's army. When I woke up, I heard innocent people cry out. And then I realized...I had made a monster." " _Shadow the Hedgehog….what have you done?_ " Shadow thought to himself.

"You see...it's my fault Infinite's this way." "Shadow..what were you thinking?!" Sonic yelled. "I didn't know it was gonna make him do this!" "Well, you should have!" "Well, it just came with the job!" "No, it didn't! Shadow, everybody has feelings; even villains. And you shouldn't have killed his jackals either!" "Wha-how did you know they were jackals?" "I've fought them before...in a tournament!" Knuckles and Sally didn't know what to think. "Look, Shadow, it's great that you destroyed an Eggman base, but you didn't have to kill those jackals!" "That's not important right now! What is is...I did this, and now I have to fix it." "But we still don't even know how Infinite gets his powers!" Sonic said. "Not to mention all those Shadow clones." Sally said. "Those are all fakes." "Fakes? But how?" Knuckles asked. "With the new power he has, not only can he control the dimensional fabric and the space-time continuum, Infinite can also create virtual reality projections. They have mass and form, but no heart and soul." "Virtual reality… so all those familiar faces that were part of Eggman's army…" "The Shadows? Oh, you mean, as in all those, like the Naugus brothers, Erazor, the Witchcarters, the Hooligans, Mammoth Mogul, Chaos. Oh, no, those are the real deal. The Shadows, on the other hand, are Replicas. Problem is, they may not be real, but their powers are as formidable as the ones belonging to the original; mine. According to Breezie and Rouge, Infinite can create unlimited numbers of them." Shadow explained. "So fight after fight, he can just keep throwing them out?" Sally asked. "Right. Unless we can find out where Infinite's powers come from, there's no way we can win this war." Sonic slapped Shadow in the mouth. "Of course we can! We always do! We just haven't figured that part out yet." Sonic said. A beeping noise went off. A notification came from Omega. "Well, this could be promising." Sally said. "All resistance warriors, head to Angel Island for new bission mriefing- I mean mission briefing!" Shadow said.

That's what everyone did. They all went to the base in Angel Island for the next mission. "Listen up. Breezie's just informed us that, thanks to the success of Operation Pyramid Smash (with Extra Hot Sauce), Eggman's forces are undermanned at his headquarters in Metropolis. They're probably staging somewhere else as part of one of Eggman's schemes. This could be our only chance to take the city. That's why we're focusing on a full frontal assault on Metropolis. I'm calling it, "Operation Big Wave." Shadow said. "Who cares what it's called? What's important is to have a well thought out strategy." Sticks said. "I thought up this strategy in about a minute and a half. We're going in hard and fast and we're not gonna stop until Eggman's army is destroyed." Knuckles said. "Wait a minute. If we go through with this almost immediately, Eggman could know what we're up to something and get his minions involved." Cosmo said. "Yeah? So?" Amy asked. "Have any of you seen how powerful they are? If they get involved, Operation Big Wave could be a disaster; especially if Infinite gets involved." "Cosmo's right. Anyone else have a plan?" Shadow asked. "I do. We take them out." Hotaru said. "What do you mean, Mr. Shinpei?" "I mean, we defeat Eggman's minions. If Eggman has his minions get beat in battle, it'll be a pretty big victory for the Resistance. It's like Tails said, if we want the people to rally, we have to show them that strength doesn't just come from numbers." Hotaru said. "Good point. New plan; before we go through with Operation Big Wave, we need to weaken Eggman's defenses, as in; locate Eggman's minions' location and take them down. That way, when they're spending time healing, Operation Big Wave will take effect and victory will be close. Got it?" Knuckles asked. "Yeah!" "Alright! Let's get started! Nicole, locate Eggman's minions outside of Metropolis." Sally asked Nicole. "Searching, Sally." After a few seconds, Nicole said, "Located 5 minions; Infinite at the Blue Gate Bridge, Chaos at the Green Lake, the Witchcarters and Hooligans at the Yellow Gate Bridge, Metal Sonic at the Red Gate Bridge, and Mephiles and Iblis in the City. New targets of opportunity are now available." "All of them are in the City Region. Makes it a lot more easier. But first, Nicole, find the location of Miles "Tails" Prower and the Sonic from another dimension. "Searching, Knuckles." After a few seconds… "Members have been located in the Mystic Jungle. New target of opportunity now available." "Okay, who's first?" Knuckles asked. "I'll take Infinite." Shadow said. "Me, NiGHTS and Beat'll take Chaos." Hotaru said. "Me and Spike will go find Tails." Sonic said. "I'll go with them." Cosmo said. "Once we got Tails, me, Spike, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cosmo and Silver will take on the Witchcarters and Hooligans." "Then Razor and me will take on Metal Sonic." Coral said. "Then Sonic, me and Silver will take Mephiles and Iblis." Shadow said. "Alright, now let's get out there, because the war to take back the planet begins….now." Knuckles said.


	12. Good Day for Some Swell Battles

The first target of opportunity was to find Tails. The Resistance shuttle set off for the Mystic Jungle, and once it landed, Sonic, Spike and Cosmo went off to look for him. "Ok, Nicole's saying Tails and the other Sonic is close by, and they're dealing with Egg Pawns at the moment." Classic Sonic and Tails were looking for some strange readings coming from the lab in Mystic Jungle, where Sonic fought the Hooligans. There were several water passages on the way there, and they all slid on them of course...well, except Sonic, and we all know why that is. "Well, look at you. Having fun in the water?" Knuckles asked. "What? Jealous you can't play on the slide, Commander Knuckles?" Spike said with sarcasm. "This is no time to lose focus, that's all. Uh, be sure to give the search all you've got, guys!" Knuckles said, totally not jealous at all.

Tails and Classic Sonic were in the Mystic Jungle all right, and they seemed to have found what they were looking for; where the readings were coming from. "Alright, those readings must be close, champ." Classic Sonic said. "Looking for something, boys?" The two looked up. It was Mammoth Mogul, who was sitting on a tree branch, waiting for them. "Mammoth Mogul!" Tails shouted as the two picked up Laser Wispons from the Tornado. Mogul jumped down off the branch and to the ground. "So what brings you to my abode?" "We want to know something; what's Eggman up to?" Classic Sonic said, aiming the Laser Wispon at Mogul. "Eggman gave me strict orders not to relay anything about his plan to anyone but us in the Inner Circle, especially not to Resistance lackeys." Mogul said. "Then we've gotta beat it out of you!" "Take me if you can, foolish hedgehog!"

Mogul then grew to a gigantic size, bigger than any machine Classic Sonic had fought before. He looked like he did before except his hat was off and his clothes were a bit ripped. Classic Sonic was a bit scared, but didn't see it as a challenge. Mogul attacked with several arrows made of flame, orbs of light and stone bullets, which Classic Sonic found hard to block and dodge. Tails was kind enough to pick up the Hover Wispon from the Tornado and head into the fight. When Mogul shot another wave of fire arrows, Tails squeezed the trigger and the Wispon shot a shockwave that shot them back, causing them to hit Mogul in a shield he put up. He then passed it to Classic Sonic, but Mogul wouldn't shoot them back, because, well...why would he? Classic Sonic found two boulders and shot the shockwaves at them, launching them at Mogul, taking down the shield for a bit. He then ran to the Tornado, grabbed the Rhythm Wispon, and then shouted into it, until Mogul finally fell down and shrunk. Well, that was pathetic, wasn't it? One of the world's most powerful villains and he goes down by two boulders and a yell. Bore.

In the case of Sonic, Spike and Cosmo, Cosmo "put out some feelers"- as in she placed her hands on the ground, and felt for vibrations. Because she was a Seedrian, she had a close connection to the ground and the plantlife within it. After she felt the ground for a few seconds, she pointed left, and that's where she and Sonic went. Tails and Classic Sonic were there, having taken down Mammoth Mogul, who had just shrunk down. "Now you've gotta tell us what Eggman's planning for the Resistance. What's he up to?!" Classic Sonic asked. "You still won't get anything out of me. It'll spoil the surprise if I do. You'll find out eventually." Mogul said, before he teleported to Metropolis. "I'm not a villain of honor. It's time you learned that." Mogul said. Cosmo and Spike ran to where Tails and Classic Sonic were. "Tails!" "Cosmo!" The two of them hugged again. "Hey, Spike!" "Hey, Tails. Look who came here to see you." Tails was overjoyed to see him. "SONIC!" "Hey, Tails." "You had me so worried." "Well, when have you known me to fall for long? You worry too much." Sonic then noticed Classic Sonic as well. "It's been generations since I've seen you. How are you?" "Eh, could be better." "So, what were you hopping on Mammoth Mogul about?" Spike asked. "We just heard that Eggman's planning something that will wipe out the resistance in three days." "And we wanna know what it is. Problem is when we try to get an answer, the minions just tell us "you'll find out." "We only went to Snively and Mogul." "Let's just get this info to the resistance. We'll figure out the least-worst thing to tell them." Cosmo said.

With that, they returned to the base to relay what Tails had heard. "So what you're saying is Eggman's planning something that'll destroy us all in three days?" Sally asked. "Yeah, Shadow. A lot can happen in three days." "Eggman said when the plan was completed, we'll all be wiped out." Cosmo said. "I don't like the sound of that. Normally, I'd laugh at an Eggman plan, but he's already conquered most of the world, so..what's this plan of his?" Knuckles asked. "His minions wouldn't tell us. Eggman gave them strict orders not to reveal anything about it. Not even to us, for obvious reasons." Classic Sonic said. "So Eggman's planning to wipe us out and we don't even what he's got in store." "Where's Shadow?" Tails asked. "He's out fighting Infinite. Don't worry. For the looks of it, he's fought him before. I think he can handle him." Cosmo said.

In the case of Shadow, he was headed for the Blue Gate Bridge, one of the entryways into the city, and where Infinite was said to be. "OK, Nicole said Infinite would be here." And he was, standing on the bridge's edge, looking over the city. "More ants to crush. I wonder if this world will offer me a real challenge." Infinite said. Shadow walked over to him and shouted, "INFINITE!" Infinite turned around. "And as if to answer, the world sends me...Shadow." Infinite teleported to Shadow and the two faced each other. "I've come here to fix my wrong, and my wrong was calling you weak." "I don't hate you because you called me weak! I hate you because of what you did to my jackals! Those 6 were like a family to me, and you got rid of them all without even caring!" Infinite shouted. "Killing me won't bring them back, Infinite." "Either way, you will fall!" Infinite said, levitating upward. "What would you like your epitaph to read? How about "here lies the ultimate cliche?" "How about "here lies the masked clown?" Might as well make one for the one who needs one, right?" Shadow said as he sped off to Infinite. If he got close enough, he could land a strike on him, but before he could even shoot a Chaos Spear at him, Infinite sped to another direction, making him miss. Shadow teleported to Infinite for a kick and he dodged it. Shadow then unleashed Chaos Control and kicked Infinite in the back, knocking him down. But it doesn't end there. Infinite activated the Phantom Ruby, and made the area look like Mystic Jungle. They were on a stone snake; the exact same spot where the Hooligans fought Sonic. "You're not making this easy, are you? No matter. Crushing you will be all the more satisfying!" Infinite said, as he levitated. He then made part of the snake fall down with Shadow still on it, and he fell down with it, not able to find a good teleporting spot in the rubble., and it knocked him unconscious. Infinite then released the illusion and flew off. Shadow then woke up, and found Infinite was gone, but the bridge was still intact. Infinite must've known he was coming, but Shadow was furious that he wasn't able to fix his mistake. "No...he's gone. Out causing more trouble! Infinite...WHERE ARE YOU NOW?!" Shadow screamed to the heavens in frustration.

Near the Yellow Gate Bridge, which was right next to the Green Lake, Wendy, Chaos, the Witchcarters and Hooligans were planning their attack on the Bridge. It was in the form of an ambush, in which they would attack the Resistance soldiers that dare arrive there; especially if Sonic or Tails showed up, and bonus if both of them showed up; and if they succeeded, blow the bridge up. Wendy and Bean were talking about the plan with Falkewulf and Bearenger- and had to explain it 7 times. "Ok, here's how it will go for the 8th time; the Resistance forces come, we attack, they fall down and we bomb the bridge. Got it?" Bean asked. "Uh, could you repeat that last part?" Falkewulf asked. "What last part?" "Everything starting from "go for the 8th time." Bean screamed in annoyance. "All the bad guys in the universe and I had to get stuck with these two NITWITS!" Wendy shouted. Fang, Bark and Chaos were looking over the bridge. "Look at it, Bark. Once we're done with the Resistance tools who head here, this thing'll sink into the sea!" Fang said. "A greater tragedy my eyes will enjoy beholding." Then, Chaos saw something and he tapped Fang on the shoulder. "Huh? What is it, Chaos?" Chaos then pointed to what he saw; Carrotia sitting down, looking in the opposite direction; the exact direction where the Blue Gate Bridge was. She was picking off the petals on a flower, which had A LOT of petals on it. "Loves me. Loves me not. Loves me. Loves me not. Loves me…" "Hey, Carrotia, what's up with you?" Fang asked her. "Oh, nothing, Fang." "Why are you looking in the exact same direction as the Blue Gate Bridge, where Infinite is?" Fang asked. "Well, I...uhhh…" "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" "No. Maybe. Yes." Carrotia said, defeatedly. Fang sat down next to her. "You like him, don't you? More than that, huh?" "No, don't be ridi-okay, what gave it away?" "You call him affectionate nicknames, you hang around him more than the minions and Eggman himself, not to mention that time you were singing in the center of the hallway, a few miles from his door." "You could hear me singing?" "No, the walls are soundproof, remember? But I could tell you were. You never told me you could sing." "Uh, Fang, didn't I tell you that I was the lead in a musical where everyone sung their lines?" "Oh, yeah, you did." "More to the point, yes, I do love Infinite." "Yeah, but why? What do you see in him?" "Well, when he's not on the battlefield, he's a good guy to hang around. He's a guy who's not too rough leading, not one of those "failure and die" leaders, and personality-wise he's everything I see in a boy; dark, brooding, intelligent and nice, like he's dark on the outside, but beyond that mask, he's a great guy." "Oh, that's a coincidence." "What is?" "Before we went to the bridges, I talked to Infinite; about his relationship with you." Fang then pulled out a… "Is that a tape recorder?" "Yes, it is!" "You didn't…." "Record the whole thing just to show it to you? Yep." "You didn't edit it, did you? Cause if you did, I will…" "You have my word." Carrotia then pressed the play button.

"Hey, Infinite!" "Yes, Fang?" "Could I speak with you for a second?" "What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" "It's, well.." "Yes?" "It's about...your...relationship with…" "Come on. Out with it, Fang. Who are you talking about?" "Carrotia." "Carrotia? Oh, Carrotia!" "Do you...like her?" "Of course I do. We're workmates. Was that a rhetorical question?" "No." "Why'd you ask?" "Well, you have noticed that Carrotia does a lot of...things around you right? Like call you honey, or darling or sweetie, something like that?" "Yes, and it kind of...annoys me a bit. Why does she call me those names instead of just, well, Infinite? I even asked her." "It's because she loves you, Infinite." "What?" "She's in love with you." "Really?" "Yeah, that mask drown your definition of love?" "I can't believe it. Carrotia...loves...me? Someone as weak as me?" "Yeah, from the looks of it, she doesn't care about that. She truly, truly loves you. What say you?" "Well, now that you mention it...she does remind me of one of the jackals in my former squad. She had the same thing on one of the other jackals. He was everything she liked in a boy; he was kind, loving, thoughtful, intelligent, and with a bit of a soft spot for desert...oasises, oasisis, oasis's...what's the plural for oasis?" "I don't know." "Either way, she loved him, but couldn't find the courage to tell him, so I helped her out. I told her to just go for it. And that's what she did." "Did he accept her confession?" "I don't know. He said he'd think about it. The next time I saw her, she was happier than ever." "She must've gotten him then." "True, true. As for me and Carrotia, of course I like her!" "As a friend?" "Maybe more...I don't really know, but there are a lot of things I like about her." "Like what?" "Well, the fact that she can do all that, like move things with her mind, like that Silver fellow, shoot those carrot and kiss bombs, and the fact that she's the only one who actually gets it and doesn't need to be reminded, and the fact that she's actually a really sweet girl. She's smart, kind, sweet, loving and tender; ohhh, everything I like in a girl!" "Not to mention she sung a little song "to herself", she says." "Wait, she can sing?" "Apparently so." "Well, I hope she's good. Are you done with me now?" "Sure, bud." "Thanks for your time, Fang...wait, were you recording this?!" "Yep." "You little scamp. That's what I like about you, Fang." "Oh, one more thing." "What?" "Bat Credit Card." "Ok, you're going down!" "Oh, boy!" "COME BACK HERE!"

Fang cut off the recorder. "Wow. Infinite knows I love him, and he may just love me. But he doesn't know about his love." "Come on, Carrotia. Don't think that. You heard him!" "I know, but what if he doesn't feel the same way?" Carrotia levitated to the left of Fang, and he knew precisely what she was gonna do. "You're not gonna sing again, are you?" "Yeah." "Hey, can I record it this time? Infinite needs confirmation." "Sure." Fang cut the recorder back on as Carrotia sang...again. "I sense there's something in the wind, that feels like tragedy's at hand, and though I'd like to stand by him, I can't shake this feeling that I have that the worst is just around the bend...and does he notice my feelings for him? And will he see how much he means to me? I think it might not be... what will become of my dear friend? Where will his actions lead us then? Although I'd like to join the crowd in their enthusiastic cloud, try as I may, it won't last...and will we ever end up together? Maybe, I think so, it's possibly to become….for I might not be...the one…." Carrotia sang in a solemn tone of voice. Fang felt a bit sorry for her.

"HEY, CARROTIA! SAVE THE SINGING FOR LATER! THE RESISTANCE TOOLS ARE HERE!" Bearenger shouted. "All right!" Fang said. "It's go time." Carrotia said. The six hid in open hiding spots, especially Falkewulf, who was quite good at it. Sonic, Spike, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Silver, Cosmo, NiGHTS, Beat and Hotaru landed near the bridge, and looked for Wendy, Chaos, and the Witchcarter/Hooligan team. "Huh, that's odd. Nicole said they'd be here." Beat said. "Yeah, it's strange that they wouldn't be here. Unless they're pulling an…" Cosmo agreed. "BANZAI!" The villains, sans Chaos, shouted as they jumped out from their hiding spots. "AMBUSH!" Hotaru shouted. The villains landed in front of the heroes.

"Now we've got right where we want ya!" Bean shouted. "I should've known you'd be behind this." Tails said. "Now hand over the fox nice and easy and nobody gets hurt." Wendy ordered. "Why should we?" "Because it's the whole reason we joined this squad. Before you, we had that island under our control!" Falkewulf shouted. "EVERYONE FEARED US, FOR TO THEM, WE WERE GODS, FORCES OF NATURE!" "And then you came along there and ripped all of it away. When you beat us, they didn't fear us anymore, and we were all kicked to the curb in 5 seconds flat!" Carrotia said. "So when Eggman summoned us, we knew we were gonna beat you! We only beat Sonic so it would get us closer to you! So that's why we're here! To wipe your face clear on the ground, sonny!" "You want to beat me? Then go ahead and try! I beat you all before and I'll do it again!" Tails shouted, as he picked up the Burst Wispon. "Are you trying to mock us, foxy?" Falkewulf said. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!" "How about it, boys? How about we give this fox a heaping helping of revenge?" Carrotia said. 'That's the spirit, dearies!" Wendy said. But before the fight could start, Sonic, Spike and Cosmo walked in front of Tails. "Guys, what are you…?" Cosmo shushed him. "Don't worry, Tails. We'll handle them." "Really?" Sonic then said, "You want Tails? Then you'll have to go through us." "Sonic.." "We'll handle the Hooligans, Sonic." Knuckles said, with Amy and Silver next to him. "Silver, you handle Bean, Amy, you take Fang. Bark's mine." "Spike, you take Falkewulf, Cosmo, you take Carrotia, and I'll handle Bearenger." "Right, then leave Wendy to me!" Tails said, as he headed for the Tornado and sped off after Wendy, who was flying off. "You want me, then you'll have to catch me first!" Wendy said, cackling.

Chaos then jumped in the Green Lake and grew, and grew, and grew, until he was as big as a kaiju creature. "Oh, man. Not even a wideload of graffiti can take this down! How are we gonna take on something that big and bad?!" Beat said. "Don't fret, Beat! I've handled monsters this big before! If you dualize with me, you can give it a shot!" "Dualize?" "Just take my hand, Beat." Beat did so, and a flash of light occurred, causing him and NiGHTS to merge together. "Whoa. So this is dualize; us fusing together. I get it. What are you gonna do, Hotaru?" "This." Hotaru set two fires in his hands, waved them around, and let the flame create a bubble around him. The flame bubble then grew legs as thin as a stick and arms as large as a wrecking ball. It then cleared up to look like a robot airplane from certain angles. The flames smoothed out to form a giant flame fighter, and Hotaru screamed as loud as he could, and the fighter let out a bloodcurdling, yet triumphant roar to Chaos. "That...is the awesomest thing in the history of awesome!" Beat said. "Boys, feast your eyes on a big something I like to call "El Fuego Supreme!" Hotaru shouted. Chaos ran all the way up to El Fuego and tried to whack him in the head but he dodged it and the two were ready to fight.

As for the Witchcarters, Sonic, Spike and Cosmo were just getting started. Spike and Falkewulf were fighting on a rooftop near the bridge. "Alright, Falkewulf, let's finish this!" "Well, isn't that ironic? You gain a family of heroes, with you being the only villain, and a member of your family comes to stop you for taking something that was rightfully yours!" "What do you mean?" "Oh, they didn't tell you? About your...uncle Falke?" "What? My uncle's...a villain?" "Oh, now I know they didn't tell you! You looked up to heroes your whole life, even to the point where you're a fan of heroes like Sonic, and you never knew your old uncle was a villain?" "No…it's impossible..." "It's not possible, it's true. Do you know how many of your family were villains? 3! Your great-great grandfather, your great-aunt, and me! You were destined to be the 4th, but you became a filthy hero instead!" "NO! You can't say all the wolves are related to you when not all the wolves are related to you! There are millions of them probably saying, "Where's my Uncle Falke? Why don't I have an Uncle Falke?" and are you the least bit prepared to deal with that?! I don't think so! Time to put up or shut up, Uncle Falke!" Spike shouted as he picked the Laser Wispon and jumped into action.

Sonic and Bearenger were fighting in an alleyway near the bridge. "So, Beary." "DO NOT CALL ME THAT! MY NAME'S BEARENGER, AND YOU KNOW IT!" "Why is it you yell all the time?" "ARE YOU DISRESPECTING ME?" "I might as well be, tough guy!" "THAT DOES IT! I'M GOA RIP THOSE QUILLS OFF AND SHOVE THEM UP YOUR-" "Ok, you definitely have some anger management issues. How about you cool off a bit?" As for Cosmo, she and Carrotia were fighting ON the bridge, which when you think about it, wasn't a good idea, but then again, they were fighting there, so what can you do? "Well, I guess it's just us girls." Carrotia said. "You're not a girl. You're a woman." "You're one to talk. I'm 15. Aliens tend to look younger, yet they're really old in reality." "Not with me, I look 8 and I actually am 8. You look too young to be trying to date Infinite." "How could you tell?" "I could. We could. Sonic could. We ALL could. You kept calling affectionate nicknames, you kissed him every chance you got, and you...you...Ok, I lost track. But still.." "He's 16. He's perfect!" "Really? Because he looks immature and lacking in romantic qualities whatsoever." Carrotia didn't wanna hear criticism. "How dare you. Pucker up, girlie." Carrotia blew a explosive kiss at Cosmo. Cosmo then raised a plant which shot a plant bomb at the kiss. They both exploded at contact with each other, pushing them both back. Carrotia then lifted up Cosmo with her telekinesis, but Cosmo shot a bomb at her, knocking her down. The fights were on!


End file.
